“I didn’t understand what I was doing anymore.”
This is what director Benjamin Flaherty says, via voice-over, two-thirds of the way into his documentary “Shuffle.” It’s not often you hear a filmmaker admit that he lost the plot of his own film as he was filming it. I was relieved when he said that, since I also didn’t understand what he was doing anymore—and kind of felt like a dick about it.
In “Shuffle,” Flaherty goes into investigative mode, getting deep into our addiction treatment industry, which is both hellaciously shady and a billion-dollar business. It’s a personal journey for Flaherty, a filmmaker/editor/recovering alcoholic who credits the treatment he received in Chicago for saving his life and giving him purpose. Thanks to a tip from a fellow ex-drinker, he learns that the shadiest stuff is going on in—you guessed it!—Florida.
He discovers how “brokers” round up addicts via advertising self-help hotlines. This is really a way for these brokers to pass over addicts to wellness centers for a cut of the insurance money. If they’re not slipping them into a rinky-dink facility somewhere in South Florida (“the rehab capital of the country,” Flaherty says), they’re flying them out to swanky spots in California or other states. These places are even more sketchy, often committing myriad acts of lab fraud with the continuous, expensive testing they do on patients.
Flaherty follows an addict who also gets in on the scamming. He spends most of his time with Cory, a round-faced motormouth who works with brokers in setting him up at facilities, so he can also get a piece of the insurance money. Dude practically goes all around the country joining programs, getting paid, relapsing, and doing it all over again. But Flaherty does hang with addicts who actually want to get better. There’s Nicole, a former career addict who’s always looking for a place with proper treatment, as well as Daniel, a Kentucky boy who went to a California med spa and mostly ended up with exorbitant bills.
“Shuffle” is admirable work from Flaherty, shining a light on the greed that mostly fuels these so-called wellness centers and the addicts who, unfortunately, get strung along. But I couldn’t help thinking he was biting off more than he could chew. Coming in at a not-so-breezy 83 minutes, Flaherty crams in a lot of info regarding addiction treatment (which he usually explains in a flat, ready-for-podcasting monotone), even throwing in animated bits for those who haven’t gotten it yet.
Flaherty does make some choices that feel like dumbed-down, on-the-nose pandering. He excessively hits us with flashy, random, smart-ass stock clips that correlate with what’s being explained. When Flaherty breaks down how brokers get kickbacks, he shows a quick clip of a guy shooting a gun that predictably recoils on him. (One of several visually ridiculous moments that had me thinking, “C’mon bruh!”) He also has trouble keeping focus—what initially starts off as an on-the-ground report on the industry eventually slides into a rambling portrait of three addicts who hopefully will be around by the end credits. He even gives two of them each a breathtaking shot of them on the beach, looking at the waves as the sun goes down.
Is Shuffle well-intentioned? Obviously. Is Shuffle well-executed? Hmmm, I dunno about all that. But I have a feeling it’s going to become the go-to film for people who want to show children not only the dangers, but the corrupt, complicated bullshit that comes with being on drugs.
