Eva Wunderman is once again shining a light on the reality of crystal meth abuse.
Her latest documentary Afermeth is an intimate portrait of one family’s ups and downs caused by drug addiction and co-dependency. It is a follow-up to Wunderman’s Crystal Fear, Crystal Clear, which followed a year in the lives of three families devastated by the drug. The documentary earned the Hope director and producer a Gracie Allen Individual Achievement Award in New York in 2006.
“I think people who are affected by crystal meth often feel ashamed and don’t really want to share,” said Wunderman. “This is truly a reality. I hope this will help some people maybe see that no matter how bad it is, if you’re dealing with somebody in that situation, even if it doesn’t look like there’s any hope, you can still get through this at the end of the day.”
Aftermeth follows Michelle Webb and her children Aaron, Kyler, and Amber, who all are in transitional periods of their lives and become main characters in the documentary.
The story begins almost a decade ago when Aaron is battling a meth addiction and his mother works as a registered nurse trying to keep the family together. Wunderman catches up with them again five years later and finds a surprising twist when the roles of mother and son are reversed and Michelle is at her lowest point of her life. As time goes by viewers see Michelle’s other son Kyler also fall victim to crystal meth and as it turns out it is a very different experience than with Aaron’s addiction.
“The family bond is a very strong component in this film no matter what is going on,” said Wunderman. “You just hope you give the viewers the same journey of discovery as you go through when you’re editing it.”
Wunderman worked with local cameraman Robert Fresco on this project for three years. Aftermeth premiered at Hope Cinema on Nov. 1 and aired on the Knowledge Network.
For more information, visit aftermeth.ca or knowledge.ca.