Chasing The Dragon (D)

A 16-year-old boy is given probation for “tagging” buildings in Honolulu.  He’s ordered to attend an after school art program to focus his restless talent.  A product of a broken household devastated by drugs, he turns a proposed PSA on graffiti art, into a documentary about the crystal meth problem in Hawaii.  While filming, he catches his 11-year-old brother on tape, acting as a mobile perimeter sentry for a local gang’s drug operation.  This transforms his art assignment into more than just a movie with a message.  He will use it to convince his brother to walk away from a life that can only end in tragedy, even if it means putting himself in danger for exposing the gang’s activities.  A gritty, realistic drama, “Chasing The Dragon” is a haunting depiction of the deadly ice epidemic that has gripped the islands for years. Writers: Ed Rothkowitz, Eric Nemoto. Pages: 109.