1.
World’s Scariest Drug (Documentary
Exclusive). Dir. Ryan Duffy. Perf. Ryan Duffy. VICE, 2012. Film.
The
world of drugs has always been a disturbing place, but it seems that the “new”
scopolamine has brought a new, frightening level to the possibility of
drug-related crimes. Known as “The Devil’s Breath” in Colombia, scopolamine is
a drug similar to rohypnol, also known as “rufies”, in that it removes memory
of an incident after using drug, but more chillingly, the victim remains
him/herself. The victim is still awake and conscious; however, he or she is
subject to the whims of any suggestion without resistance. Ryan Duffy of VICE
goes to Bogota, Colombia to learn more about “the Devil’s Breath” in the
cocaine capital of the world.
2.
Duffy,
the director and main person in the documentary, explores the dark and
dangerous streets of Bogota, Colombia. His growing apprehension and suspicion
of the horrors surrounding scopolamine manifest themselves in the myriad of
rhetorical devices used. To explain most
of the conflicts, Duffy utilizes voiceover and describes Colombia and its
troubles, referring to it as “the cocaine capital of the world”. Through
actually a rather straightforward script, Duffy makes the story all the more
chilling; his blunt assessments do not attempt to hide the stories surrounding scopolamine.
He constantly foreshadows to the next event, keeping viewers engaged and
further perturbed by this “Devil’s Breath”.
The lighting of “World’s Scariest
Drug” also plays a role in telling the story. Almost the entire documentary is
shot in low light or near darkness; even the happier scenes such as eating in
fancy restaurants is done by candlelight and large shadows. Use of limited
lighting depicts a both literally and figuratively “shady” world surrounding
scopolamine. The only exception to this is when Duffy and the rest of his team
is inspecting and observing the scopolamine plant, the Borrachero Tree. Perhaps
this rhetorical choice was made to depict the natural origins as seemingly harmless
when in reality it is a dangerous plant, increasing the deception that is the
theme of using scopolamine.
The parts of the documentary that quite
literally spoke the greatest volume were the victim (and chillingly
user-against-others) testimonies. Several rhetorical devices all served to add
to the potency of these portions and added to the message that scopolamine wasn’t
merely a strong drug: it was equivalent to death and total loss of control.
Captions were provided when the people spoke in their native Colombian. Camera
angles often directed it so that the viewers were looking directly at the faces
of those speaking, but the speakers were looking off to the side or someone
else. They were always close-ups, but sometimes the faces were blurred for
identity protection. All of this emphasized the logical conclusion that you don’t
even want to mess with this drug. The native languages, having the speakers not
look at the camera, and sometimes having blurred faces combine to create a
sense of distance and lack of believability. Even Duffy describes the stories
as “camp fire horror stories you’d hear when you were younger”. However, viewers
suddenly and rather forcefully come to the conclusion that all of this is real
when it dawns upon them that those are actual people who have lived and
survived through the terrible experience. The manner (either fearful,
cold-blooded, or simply still confused) in which the recorded Colombians
described their experiences with the drug leave no room for doubt: scopolamine
is equivalent to death: if not physical, then a dying of emotional and mental
capabilities.
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