Death is Dangerous, it Could Hurt

Mariane Béliveau, a filmmaker and outreach worker from Quebec City, pursues a very direct, raw, yet sensitive artistic approach, venturing confidently into uncomfortable territories. Alongside her, it is the marginalized groups—those pushed to the edges of our societal structure—who shine brightly. Death Is Dangerous, It Could Hurt is the first part of a diptych about the use of hard drugs and those under the grip of addiction, the second being a feature-length film following the same characters.

True to its title, addiction is full of paradoxes, where darkness is always accompanied by light—however disturbing that reality may be. In this regard, the film ensures we understand this by refusing to reduce its protagonists to what they consume, reminding us that injected drugs exist because they fulfill a need. Certainly, the film acknowledges the catastrophic consequences that this kind of abuse brings into the life of a person with an addiction— no one would argue otherwise—but the filmmaker wisely makes the choice not to focus on the drug itself. Doing so would be akin to silencing its users, even dehumanizing them, as we are unfortunately so often prone to do.

Through very tight close-up footage and lighting textures evoking the chemical reactions that electrify an intoxicated body, the film lets us hear the testimonies of three drug users (M, Lyon, and Marianne). Here, daily life is marked by chronic pain, moments of ecstasy, and confessions that mask a troubled and tumultuous existence. Though they may appear functional, it's clear these characters are walking a tightrope, constantly swaying between self-control and surrender, where a single misstep could lead to death. It all comes down to whether one can play the tightrope walker—something one of the protagonists sums up with: “Some people can. And some people can’t.”

Jason Todd
Artistic Director
Tënk