In the past I’ve written about the challenges of reviewing documentaries and Generation RX is a prime example. It’s tough to discuss a film that analyzes the use of mood altering drugs in children without turning your review into an opinion piece or a political editorial. The cinematic technique runs the risk of being completely ignored and overshadowed by the subject matter, which seems to result in critics giving a documentary a pass based off of the social relevance of its subject matter. Having said all of that, I do think Generation RX does a respectable job dealing with a dense topic that is an important issue; the film itself just didn’t entirely work for me.

First off, the film’s narration — provided by a smooth voiced British gentleman — at times felt slightly cold and a little bit dry. I was immediately reminded of the educational films I’d watched in high school. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s just not for me. It certainly does a good job as an informative look at the subject matter; I just wish there was a little more focus on specific case studies. We spend very little time with actual families that have been effected by the consequences of prescribed mood altering drugs, and the time we do spend isn’t very intimate. I was waiting for a real story to dig into and follow, but it just never happened. Instead, the film spends the majority of its time in laboratories and research facilities. But again, It’s really tough to fault the filmmakers for this. For some people, this might be extremely beneficial. For me, it was just a little dry. Seriously…it’s not you, it’s me.

The overall message is pretty clear; ADHD has become (or always was?) quick and easy solution to ‘treat’ kids with behavioral problems. The symptoms are so broad that it seems any child can be diagnosed with an attention disorder. There’s a great moment where we see rare video footage at a conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health where a member of a panel of ADHD experts — a doctor who’s diagnosed and treated hundreds of kids with ADHD — struggles to define the symptoms found in a child that suffers from ADHD. The ‘experts’ concluded that their knowledge about the cause of the condition remains speculative. It’s at this same conference that a neurologist in the audience makes a connection between Ritalin and a number of cases of brain atrophy suffered by patients who’ve taken it. A dramatic ‘oooooohhhhh’ spreads through the audience. Moments like this create a sense that we’re watching the unraveling of a conspiracy. The film also details the FDA’s refusal to recoginze Prozac as a dangerous drug, citing a number of examples of suicides resulting from the use of the drug as prescribed by professionals. Pretty crazy stuff.

Overall, Generation RX is definitely informative and surely poses some controversial questions. However, as a film, I think it just left me a little cold. The good news is I highly recommend this film to anyone who has a personal connection to the subject matter and might be looking for more information or an alternate opinion on the validity of ADHD and the prescription of mood altering medication to children. — Jay