Private Project

Addict Named Hal

When Amy is sent unwillingly to a halfway house by her mom, she thinks she is different from everyone else - until Hal, a heroin addict returning to the house from jail, convinces her to give recovery a try. But Amy soon learns that her drinking won’t just disappear, and she may have a bigger problem than she thought. This film explores the everyday struggles, joys, and horrors of getting clean.

  • Lane Michael Stanley
    Director
  • Lane Michael Stanley
    Writer
  • Lowell Blank
    Producer
    Holes, The Guardian
  • Thane Swigart
    Producer
    East of the Mountains
  • Natalie L'Amoreaux
    Key Cast
    "Amy"
  • Ray A. Roberts, II
    Key Cast
    "Hal"
  • Donato de Luca
    Key Cast
    "Rich"
  • Daniela Vidaurre
    Key Cast
    "Tony"
  • John David de Virgiliis
    Cinematographer
  • Prakshi Malik
    Editor
  • Nathaniel Meeks
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 23 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 8, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Santa Barbara International Film Festival
    Santa Barbara, CA
    United States
    March 31, 2021
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Big Bear Film Summit
    Big Bear Lake, CA
    United States
    June 24, 2021
    Opening Night Film; Best U.S. Narrative Feature
  • Dances with Films
    Los Angeles, CA
    August 27, 2021
    Los Angeles Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Austin Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    October 21, 2021
    Texas Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Tallgrass Film Festival
    Wichita, KS
    October 21, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Poppy Jasper International Film Festival
    Morgan Hill, CA
    April 12, 2022
    Best Feature
Director Biography - Lane Michael Stanley

Lane Michael Stanley (he/they) is a transgender filmmaker, playwright, and producer. Lane has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, and the Austin Chronicle. They have won Best Director from Baltimore City Paper's Best of Baltimore 2016, and received the Mayor's Individual Artist Award. Their films have shown at several film festivals, including Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Outfest, Dances with Films, Toronto Short Film Festival, and Big Apple Film Festival. Their plays have been produced by 19 theaters in 8 states. They are currently in post-production for their first feature film Addict Named Hal, and in development for their transgender Western feature, Bachelor, Colorado. For more information, please visit www.lanemichaelstanley.com and www.addictnamedhal.com.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In January 2016, my fiance died suddenly of a heart attack. We had been engaged for one month, he had no symptoms, and suddenly he was dead in the spare room of the house we had bought to start our lives in.

I had never been a light drinker, but this event sent me into full-blown alcoholism. After just a few months, my hands were shaking before noon. It was clear to me that I needed some kind of medical intervention: I ended up going through inpatient rehab, and then on to a recovery house for six months.

I expected to find dour, boring people talking about God in recovery spaces. Instead, I found a vibrant community, full of laughter, joy, friendships, schoolyard drama, and crushes - but also trauma, pain, sudden overdoses, suicides, shootings, and arrests. This community saved my life.

I started writing ADDICT NAMED HAL with less than a year sober, as a love letter to the people I knew while living in the recovery house. I now have five years sober, and I’ve spent the bulk of my sobriety making this film. It has been beautiful to engage with so many stories of addiction throughout this process: whether that be the personal experiences of cast and crew; the speakers and extras we were able to pull from 12-step programs for our meeting scenes; and now, the stories of audience members who react to the film.

I hope that audiences appreciate how difficult early recovery can be, and catch a glimpse of the community found in recovery. While most films show us conflict between a single addict and their family, this film showcases the bonds formed between addicts, and how we all lift up each other’s sobriety.

--Lane Michael Stanley, Writer/Director, ADDICT NAMED HAL