Critic Reviews

The Pharmacist raises an impeccably important global issue, but its power as television all comes from one individual. Schneider, always dogged by sadness (the programme never forgets young Danny’s loss) but resolute in his faith and his desire to right wrongs, also has the self-awareness necessary to be a truly great documentary protagonis.

Guided by countless video and audio recordings that Schneider made during this period—capturing conversations he had on the phone, and in person, with just about everyone in his orbit—The Pharmacist details the man’s mission with amazing immediacy.

The Pharmacist shows how sheer determination, fueled by grief and anger, can drive one man to affect change, even if it’s in the face of a corrupt bureaucracy or a massive corporation.

The popularity of easily digestible true-crime narratives has led to a glut of stories such as this one, ambitious and rote and unable to indulge in the skepticism or the soul-searching that subjects as consuming as the opioid epidemic merit.