''Story of a Junkie'' is a 1987

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Lech Kowalski Lech Kowalski (born 1951) is an American film director of Polish descent. He was born in London to Polish parents. His most notable film is the documentary, ''D.O.A.'', subtitled ''A Rite of Passage'', which chronicled the burgeoning UK punk sce ...

and starring

John Spacely John Spacely, also known as Gringo, was an American musician, actor, and nightlife personality. His life was chronicled in two Lech Kowalski documentaries, '' Story of a Junkie'' and ''Born To Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie''. Personal life ...

. Distributed by

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pl ...

. Filmed in documentary-style, the film follows the character of Gringo, a young man looking for fortune in New York City, only to fall into heroin addiction. The movie has amassed quite a reputation in certain circles for its depictions of hard drug usage in New York City's East Village area. Many of the cast members, including leading man John Spaceley, are actual junkies. The numerous shooting-up sequences are reportedly entirely real, as are many of the drug dens and their denizens. Perhaps even more notable than the

cinéma vérité Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or ...

structure is the almost total lack of moralizing on the part of the producers or its characters. Lead actor Spacely died in the early 1990s, reportedly from AIDS, which he contracted through intravenous drug use. His final moments are chronicled in yet another Lech Kowalski film, "Born to Lose: The Last Rock & Roll Movie", a documentary about deceased former New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders. Troma Entertainment hails ''Story of a Junkie'' as one of the company's best films; it's one of the most well known outside of the films directed by Troma founders

Lloyd Kaufman Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. (born December 30, 1945) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their featur ...

and Michael Herz.

External links

* 1987 films American independent films Troma Entertainment films 1987 drama films 1987 independent films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{indie-drama-film-stub