“This film is the result of the stories I recorded while traveling around rural Ireland where opiate addictions are tearing families apart,” says Portia A Buckley, the director behind this hauntingly brilliant portrayal of two addicts looking to finance their next hit. 

Radiator explores drug abuse from the perspective of a young working-class man living with his grandmother while struggling to get off prescription methadone. Filmed near Cork, Ireland, Buckley’s sensitively directed piece explores the young man’s relationship with a wayward friend who leads him on a path to self-destruction and isolation.

“As a filmmaker I’m interested in blurring the line between documentary and fiction as a way of highlighting contemporary socio-economic issues,” says the director. “I engage with challenging subject matters, immerse myself within the communities I portray and build a narrative around my observations.”