MDMA (film)
This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral. (June 2019) |
MDMA | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Angie Wang |
Written by | Angie Wang |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Brett Pawlak |
Edited by |
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Music by | Pei Pei Chung |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Shout! Factory |
Release dates |
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Land | Vereinigte Staaten |
Sprache | Englisch |
MDMA (also known as Cardinal X or Angie X) is a 2017 American crime drama film written and directed by Angie Wang, and produced by Wang and Fire Horse Film Productions LLC in association with Blue Creek Pictures.[1] The film is about a young woman, Angie Wang (played by Annie Q.), who becomes the biggest supplier of MDMA on the West Coast of the United States in the mid-1980s.[2] According to the film's official website, it is "inspired by true events" from Wang's own life.[2]
The film had its world premiere at CAAMFest on March 10, 2017.[3] It was released in the United States in select theaters and through digital and on demand services on September 14, 2018, by Shout! Factory.[1][4]
Plot
[edit]Angie is in college, but finding that money is hard for her family. Her father tells her to change colleges to save money, and she decides to earn some money herself. While partying with friends, she is introduced to MDMA.
She realizes that MDMA is unregulated, and so neither legal nor illegal. After researching the papers published by the developing teams, she formulates her own method and starts production. She works hard both in and after school, and parties, where she also sells her own product, all while keeping the supply anonymous.
Cast
[edit]- Annie Q. as Angie
- Francesca Eastwood as Jeanine
- Pierson Fodé as Alex
- Elisa Donovan as Mary
- Ron Yuan as Michael
- Yetide Badaki as Anita
- Aalyrah Caldwell as Bree
- Scott Keiji Takeda as Tommy
- Henry Zaga as Donnie
Production
[edit]The film is based on Wang's personal life and experiences as it was, according to the Blue Creek Pictures website, "inspired by true events of Wang's gritty past as one of the major players in the party-drug business."[4]
Reception
[edit]On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 53% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 6.12/10.[5]
Sheri Linden of the "Hollywood Reporter" wrote: "It's Wang's eye for social realities, brought to life by her cast, that gives her film its edge."[6] Film Threat gave it a rave, Bradley Gibson stating "This is a fantastic film. Imagine any John Hughes film as a drug-fueled drama."[7] Kimber Myers of the Los Angeles Times said that the film "falls short of feeling ecstatic", and that "Wang could have used some distance from the material."[8] She also felt the film fell short of its potential, with Wang being too involved as "the film’s sole director, writer and subject", and that she used unnecessary sub-plot to "cast her on-screen counterpart in a better light".[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "MDMA The Film". Shout! Factory. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ a b "About the film". Shout! Factory. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ "Cardinal X". CAAMFest. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "MDMA in select Theaters, Digital & On Demand 9/14". Blue Creek Pictures. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ "MDMA (Cardinal X) (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ Linden, Sheri (May 2017). "'MDMA': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Gibson, Bradley (September 14, 2018). "MDMA". Film Threat.
- ^ a b Myers, Kimber (September 12, 2018). "Review: Drug-dealing drama 'MDMA' falls short of feeling ecstatic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
- 2017 films
- 2017 crime drama films
- 2017 independent films
- American crime drama films
- American films based on actual events
- American independent films
- Crime films based on actual events
- Drama films based on actual events
- Films about the illegal drug trade
- Films set in 1984
- Films shot in San Francisco
- 2010s English-language films
- 2010s American films