‘Shuffle’ Review: Recovering Addicts Become Prey in Benjamin Flaherty’s Moving Exposé on Rehabilitation Facilities Designed to Fail

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In the Documentary Feature Competition at SXSW this year, Benjamin Flaherty’s compelling work titled “Shuffle” emerged victorious. This essayistic piece, part self-portrait of addiction and part medical expose, provides an intimate account of three individuals battling drug dependency and several insiders attempting to change their ways. Gradually, they construct a troubling image of a manipulative system that masquerades as recovery.

The film “Shuffle” delves into several treatment centers in Florida, providing an intricate portrait of the individuals, processes, and motives behind the structural exploitation of addicts aiming for recovery. It’s a movie that uncovers a web of deceit, where institutions supposedly dedicated to helping drug abusers actually orchestrate their relapses, draining them financially while their insurance companies are bled dry. In essence, it’s a vicious cycle that treats people as commodities and financial liabilities, but Flaherty skillfully uses his camera to bring back their humanity.

Flaherty serves as the main storyteller in this film, focusing on three twenty-somethings named Cory, Nicole, and Daniel. Over a span of several years, Flaherty accompanies them as they are shuttled between various addiction treatment centers. Each facility has its own costly procedures and routines, and its profits rely heavily on the fact that patients never recover. Typically, there are only two paths out: becoming part of the exploitative recruitment scheme to attract new addicts, or succumbing to death. The interconnected trips are further chilling due to Matthew Dougherty’s unsettling musical score.

The reason “Shuffle” exhibits a deep sense of empathy is because it was created during a period when Flaherty himself was undergoing extended addiction treatment. Remarkably, he managed to avoid getting ensnared within such a system. However, as the film progresses, it uncovers the extent to which these abuses are prevalent, suggesting that even Flaherty might have been another victim had he found himself in a different situation.

This documentary employs conventional techniques such as interview clips and supplementary footage, but what sets it apart is its emphasis on presenting facts and statistics. It serves not only as a powerful critique and alternative narrative about the concept of ‘destination wellness’, but also as a damning indictment, filled with information that is shocking and infuriating. The individuals interviewed speak candidly about their experiences, suggesting they’ve shared these stories many times before, yet few have taken notice.

The film “Shuffle” has a polished quality that can make you queasy, but this is intentional. It cleverly employs brief animated sequences, reminiscent of shaky chalk drawings on blackboards, to depict feelings of solitude. Interviews with investigators and others involved in these cases employ disconcerting focus shifts to hide people’s physical characteristics. The film’s compilation of archival footage, featuring lab rats and casino gambling, sets uneasy boundaries around the central trio, reflecting how society perceives their struggles without using spoken words.

What’s particularly unsettling about “Shuffle” is its interviews with individuals who locate addicts on social media and guide them to the previously mentioned facilities. These intermediaries are shown in silhouette to conceal their identities, and their voices are altered lower, but they assume a menacing demeanor and appearance during this process. We’re provided with subtle hints of physical traits, such as the style of sunglasses or light reflecting off a beard’s contours. They appear like covert Navy SEALs carrying out ruthless capitalist agendas, and their objective is recruitment.

Throughout the filmmaking process, Flaherty continually ponders his influence on his subjects’ narratives, whether he functions as an observer, intervener, or potentially even an enabler. This unique documentary not only stirs anger and increases knowledge in its viewers, but also fosters emotional intelligence due to its deep introspection about its role in these individuals’ lives. The film affords its subjects the autonomy, respect, and full humanity that they are seldom granted.

Despite using numerous tricks and stylistic elements, most of which are impactful, the movie “Shuffle” seldom strays from its emphasis on humanism. The heartfelt conversations between characters like Cory, Nicole, and Daniel, as captured by Flaherty, lead to raw confessions and climactic moments that give the film a powerful sense of immediacy. Unlike statistics or facts, these personal stories grant the subjects a voice and prevent them from being overlooked.

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2025-03-19 00:18