A few years ago, one could have been forgiven for assuming the worse when it came to any movie depiction of Pete Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin that it would end tragically. The co-frontman of The Libertines had a well-documented history of addiction, which frequently obscured the genius of one of the most controversial modern bands in Britain. His problems often took center stage, with the press circus surrounding them interwoven with his love with Kate Moss, his incarcerations, and his notoriously bad habit of being extremely late.
The memoir “Pete Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin” looks back on those turbulent times from the early 2000s to the middle of the 2010s. Doherty’s current wife, Katia deVidas, shot and directed the documentary, which painfully draws us into his addiction. In addition to exposing the effects and repercussions of giving in to heroin, it also shows the artist nodding off while the drug is coursing through his system.
The movie shows the events leading up to that point on several occasions: the black tourniquet coiled tightly around his arm, the black tar melting and bubbling on a spoon, ready for injection. The scene where the needle enters his arm is not shown in the movie, but it could have been because the rest of the images are so intensely unsettling.
Some scenes could make you wonder: Why go so deep into the chasm? Other scenes in the movie graphically portray Doherty’s situation: he lies on his bed, his wide, dark eyes displaying a mixture of despair and emptiness as he weeps over the heroin’s hold over him. He also has injection sores on his arm. In the most heartbreaking of scenes, we get to see glimmers of the perceptive Pete, who appears for a little period with smart remarks and a cheeky grin before withdrawing within himself.
An amiable doctor puts an opiate blocker in his stomach in another raw moment, but soon Doherty is pleading with himself for “just one more bag” before leaving for the often-delayed recovery period in Thailand. Doherty’s contemporary narratives provide more thoughts and ideas, while interviews with others in his inner circle provide an outsider’s viewpoint.
The star was the subject of a media frenzy that frequently lacked empathy, portraying his addiction in a sensational and brutal way in an attempt to sell books, spark indignation, and get clicks rather than to promote compassion and understanding. Maybe those unsettling moments are necessary to emphasize the disgusting treatment Doherty received—a man who vanished into obscurity while making increasingly dramatic headlines. But occasionally, “Pete Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin” also seems to be involved. A sleepy-eyed Doherty tells deVidas that he told her to stop recording during a scene at home. She says, “I’ve stopped filming,” while the camera continues to pan.
Thankfully, the documentary doesn’t focus only on that difficult decade. Eventually, it leads Doherty to Hope Rehab in Thailand, where he becomes sober and, for the first time in the movie, appears to be in good health. He records ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth,’ his third album with The Libertines, and the story quickly moves through his more recent career path.
Any hope of a tragic conclusion of Pete Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin is dashed at the documentary’s finale when Doherty says he wants to help other addicts get clean. The Libertines’ fourth album is set to be released early next year, and a final title screen promises “many more records” to come. Years ago, such a result would have appeared improbable. Although DeVidas’ film can be difficult to see, it also gives us a lot to be grateful for while also acting as a sobering warning of the terrible consequences of addiction.
SPECIALS:
- Director: Vidal Katia
- Including: Peter Wolfe, Mick Jones, and Pete Doherty
- November 9 is the day of release (in UK cinemas).
