Film Review: HOOKED
by Karen Pecota

Glen Fulthorpe, UK 2024

Veteran filmmaker Glen Fulthorpe uses his artistic expertise to dive deep into a past about his family’s alcohol and opioid addiction in HOOKED. A systematic occurrence when one takes a journey to research family history, there is often a discovery of unexpected personal issues that surface. In Fulthorpe’s findings, he becomes aware of a need to face his own struggles—anger, forgiveness, and fatherhood—while trying to find answers to questions about his dad’s addictions.

Fulthorpe’s father, Steve, struggled with heroin addiction and sadly overdosed during the filming of this family story.

A twenty-year filmmaking veteran, Fulthorpe, creatively takes on a different storyline than planned when this tragic episode triggers a series of events from years earlier, when he documents two young addicts, introduced by his father. Fulthorpe notes that this journey provided him, “The introspective examination of addiction’s wide-reaching effects, generational trauma, and the path toward healing—themes of redemption and personal growth.”

Fulthorpe shares, “The genesis of this documentary stemmed from a deeply personal quest during my time at the National Film and Television School. Our ‘Question’ unit provided the perfect opportunity to delve into the unanswered questions surrounding my father’s heroin overdose in 2006.” Adding, “I was at a crossroads, as a filmmaker, and a new father.”

He continues, “Becoming a parent myself brought a new prospective to this project—to confront my insecurities about parenting and the lingering resentment I held towards my father.” Recalling, “Steve’s inability to overcome his addiction, for my sake, had left me feeling inadequate. This project HOOKED broke that cycle, reinforcing my commitment to always keeping my promises to my own children.”

As you can well imagine, Fulthorpe encountered an array of raw emotions, he describes as, “nostalgia and pain” while rummaging through hours of archival footage from 2006. Noting, “It allowed me to see events I had missed or forgotten, providing new insights into the circumstances surrounding my father’s death. It enabled me to move forward by first looking back.”

Fulthorpe’s unique style of transparency goes seriously deep in HOOKED. Stating, “I want viewers to see the potential for growth and healing from confronting painful truths.” His encouragement is visually impressive as he combines segments of his heartbreaking past of pain and sorrow with delightfully charming moments of joy with his children only a loving father can emulate.