To Leslie is a low-budget, Oscar nominated (best actress), indie film that’s currently streaming on Netflix. It’s a semi-autobiographical film about a single mother dealing with alcoholism, featuring an eclectic cast of character actors, decent production values, with a RT score of 93% (currently).
It’s a fine movie. Good, even. It’s well-written, well-made, and well-acted. While the story was very personal for the screenwriter, part of me wonders if movies like this get made in order to give various people experience.
That said, the whole movie felt like a trope. I’m don’t mean that in a pejorative way, but it did affect my enjoyment. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of indie films about addiction, each one of which would have been incredibly impactful if it were the first one I’d seen, but after a while they just feel like they’re going through the motions. And that got me thinking… what was the actual first low-budget movie about an addict’s ups and downs?