The Agony of Ecstasy

Hosted by Bill Kurtis, in his inimitably ominous style, this entry in the Investigative Reports series looks at one of today's most popular drugs of choice with youth: Ecstasy. Flashy color montages alternate with fuzzy, b&w surveillance shots of kids dancing and handling pills, obviously on their merry ways to hell in the proverbial handbasket. Kurtis and other grim voices of authority decry Ecstasy's very real dangers, while youngsters justify their use of the drug by noting how incredibly boring are their towns and, by extension, their lives. While the enumerated dangers of Ecstasy eerily echo ‘60s warnings about LSD, the medical issues seem more plausible: people die from the physical side effects of Ecstasy, rather than by leaping to their deaths from great heights as LSD victims were alleged to do. The Agony of Ecstasy details the easy availability of the drug, overplays the spooky, throbbing atmosphere of "a dance culture, similar to the disco scene of the ‘70s...called Techno" and essentially reduces the equation to slogan-like simplicity: teens + techno/rave ambience + flashing lights + ecstasy = death. Lollipops are listed among the "visual clues ... indicating that Ecstasy is probably being used." Holy oversimplification, Bill! A tough statement about a popular, but dangerous illegal drug, this documentary lays it on the line, but is probably too didactic to change the minds of dedicated young psychic adventurers. A strong optional purchase. Aud: J, H, C, P. (M. Tribby)