With nearly 50 million Americans estimated to be suffering from addiction, or nearly 1 in 6 of us, it should surprise no one that it is the focus of multiple movies (and books, and TV shows, etc…) every year. It comes up so much that it’s even developed a lot of its own tropes. When deployed well said tropes are still very effective, but there are still novel ways to explore the subject, both of which are capably demonstrated by this unexpectedly well-matched double feature.

The prison thriller is a microgenre with plenty of tropes of its own and British film Wasteman deploys plenty of them, but everything is staged and performed so well it’s unlikely the viewer will care. Taylor (David Jonsson) has just been told that he has become eligible for a new early release program aimed at easing the burden on the UK’s prison system, all he needs to do is behave for a few weeks and he can be reunited with his now teenaged son. But his new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth) is intent on taking over the jail’s drug market and immediately begins making bold moves to do so. Taylor is already addicted to synthetic heroin he’d been purchasing from Dee’s rivals and between those urges and his dangerously charismatic new roommate, he finds himself drawn further into an escalating web of danger and violence.

While there is a supporting cast this is effectively a two-hander between Jonsson and Blyth and both are riveting to watch, with the former in particular delivering one of the year’s best performances. It may not be the most original story, but it’s deeply affecting and so effectively ratchets up the suspense as it hurtles toward the conclusion that one could be forgiven for forgetting to breathe during the last 20 minutes. Making his feature film debut, director Cal McMau has shown himself to be a talent to watch. ★★★★

Not Rated. Contains strong bloody violence, strong language throughout, drug use, brief graphic nudity, thematic content, and smoking.

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While Wasteman used fairly standard story beats to impressive effect, there is very little about Touch Me that one could call “ordinary”. In his sophomore effort writer/director Addison Heimann introduces us to Joey (Olivia Taylor Dudley) and Craig (Jordan Gavaris), a pair of dysfunctional best friends who find themselves faced with an unpleasant plumbing problem they can nary afford to fix. When Joey’s ex Brian (Lou Taylor Pucci) offers them a place to stay the pair leap at the opportunity, despite his previous abusive behavior towards her. Oh, and also he’s an alien whose touch provides a euphoric experience akin to getting high.

His middle-aged housemate Laura (Marlene Forte) is intensely jealous of the younger pair, each of whom have clearly captured Brian’s interest. And as Joey and Craig each become more deeply involved with their host, they both begin to grow weary of the other’s intentions while possibly willfully ignoring the risk Brian himself might pose to them.

It’s a highly unusual premise, and while it doesn’t always totally work, Heimann’s strong visual style and his dark sense of humor, anchored by the engaging cast, keep the viewer glued to the screen. It may be the most bizarre representation of physical addiction ever filmed, but it largely proves remarkably effective, laying bare the ways an addict can let their need overwhelm every aspect of their lives, potentially costing them their dignity, their relationships, and even their very existence. ★★★★

Not rated. Contains graphic violence, gore, sexual content, nudity, strong language throughout, thematic content, drug use, and smoking.