A family's battle with their son's drug addiction sends him deep into the Amazon Rainforest, where he begins to confront the demons of his past and an uncertain future.
After a seven-year battle with drug addiction, 20 year old Riley Chapman journeys from New Orleans to the Peruvian Amazon on a quest to battle the demons of his past. As Riley's mentor, family friend Cheo arranges his stay with a Shipibo community. Through the village's teaching on community living, biodversity, and shamanic medicine, Riley is given the opportunity to interrupt his cycle of self-destruction and live a productive life. Back in the comfort of the Chapman's uptown home, Cheo consoles Riley's parents, Julie and Kelly, as they confront their self-doubts and the fear of what to do next. For the first time in many years, they are free of the worry that comes with their son's drug use, yet they must now look outside their own destructive patterns to find hope. Alone in the jungle, after months of waiting for his parents' blessing to return home, Riley's familiar anger and pain resurface. What emerges from A Crooked Line is at once inspiring and harsh, endearing and cruel. The film witnesses a family's suffering and becomes part of the Chapmans' struggle to overcome the regret of the past and envision a future as a healthy family.—Adriana Najera