“There isn’t any other work here, and I don’t want my family to struggle.”
“I will never give up on my child. One day he’s going to either leave this earth, or find his way out.”
Showtime’s five-episode documentary series The Trade explores the opioid epidemic from all angles through the eyes of those most affected: the growers, addicts, cartel bosses and law enforcement all caught up in a web of crisis.
From Columbus, Ohio to Guerrero, Mexico and countless cities in between, it focuses on the struggle of those trying to overcome addiction, juxtaposed by the struggle of those whose livelihoods depend on poppy, showing how the epidemic has ravaged communities on both sides of the border.
The Trade is directed by Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land), and is a continuation of his examination of the border drug trade.
Showtimes describes The Trade as a “character-driven verité-style” series that “seeks to break through the simplistic and often erroneously counterproductive assumptions surrounding the opioid phenomenon transcending the headlines to convey with humanity and nuance the scope and gravity of the crisis.”
The Trade world premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and debuts Friday, February 2 at 9 p.m. on Showtime.
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