MDMA

This is a fantastic film. Imagine any John Hughes film as a drug-fueled drama.

The sense of verisimilitude helps to ground the drama. Although MDMA goes to some dark places and features its share of ugly scenes, it’s ultimately a story of hope and redemption. It helps to remember that Wang has become a successful businesswoman and now filmmaker.

It’s Wang’s eye for social realities, brought to life by her cast, that gives her film its edge.

None of the sizzle is as compelling as this character study of a young woman who confesses that her only childhood companion was the TV.

Wang seems to have sincerely set out to make a cautionary tale, “inspired by true events,” with a dedication in the opening suggesting she knew a victim of MDMA. But what she’s releasing is straight-up exploitation, and a film too cautious to work on that level, too torrid to play the “Stay off drugs!” card.

As the film’s sole director, writer and subject, Wang could have used some distance from the material.