It’s 1974 and a store owner is killed outside of his business by a street junkie, in front of his young daughter who is waiting in the car. It’s sad and sudden, but alas it’s real life when confronted with throw-aways who are unable to cope, deal or live with themselves let alone others who look down upon their addiction.  

However, one addict does not represent ALL addicts.  

Skipping ahead to “TODAY”, a scuzzy-looking doper in his beaten-up trailer is dragged out by two “cops” in the middle of the night and delivered to the SAGE facility for further rehabilitation. Apparently, this is not the first - or second – stint that Rodney has done at this center. And the disdain on his face knowing he’ll have to spend the next month in this hellhole is filled with anger and misery.

Rodney (an impressive Jasper Cole) has chosen to address his issues through intensive drug use, alienating both his wife and daughter in the aftermath of their son’s untimely death. Living with guilt has driven Rodney to exist in anguish while dulling the pain with a variety of narcotics. Once he is confronted with SAGE’s administrator Nanny Lou (an unrecognizable yet chilling Charlene Tilton), any hope of escaping his living nightmare becomes destroyed.  

Paired up alongside a young man named Dustin who has constant seizures and rage from his own predicament, the two patients bond over uncovering the accumulated secrets swirling around the rehab when fellow group session users are released early, never to be seen or heard from again.  

So, what is really going on at SAGE?  

I had so many notions of evilness ranging from black market organ donors to transforming patients into “Stepford Wives” which ultimately lead to my extreme disappointment after dragging my tired ass through gratuitous scenes that never moved the needle forward. Yes, pun intended.  

Doctor Sam (an applaudable Richard Tyson) is the only SAGE staffer who holds onto a semblance of humanity while functioning around “sick fucks” that hide behind their martyrdom. As the pill heads scramble to decipher minimal clues, Nanny Lou continues to reign her exquisitely psycho power over their severe dependency. And all through her twisted exhibition of ugly Christmas sweaters during crochet sessions. ‘Tis the season, indeed.

The performances are decent while the action is lacking. And with an amateurish decapitation stunt, I was ready for the boredom to end. Don’t be afraid to ingest a valium before watching Final Recovery. You may need two.