There’s a moment early in I Love Boosters where a fashion designer comments on a turquoise—or aquamarine, depending on who you ask—dress. She describes the color choice as “ballsy.” That word does more than describe a dress; it also perfectly encapsulates the film itself. Between this and his directorial debut, Sorry to Bother You (2018), it’s become abundantly clear that nobody is making movies quite like Boots Riley. His films refuse any inclination toward restraint. They’re audacious, anarchic, and unapologetically absurd. Every frame is filled to the brim with imagination and visual inventiveness. I swear, Boots Riley has more creativity in one of his fingernails than most people have in their entire bodies. Watching one of his films feels like witnessing someone operating on a creative wavelength that’s light-years ahead of everyone around them.

Addiction is a common theme in cinema, but it’s a topic that’s often sensationalized and depicted in ways that veer toward melodrama with big, over-the-top meltdowns. Addiction dramas often lean more toward being overdramatic than truthful for the sake of entertainment value. Adam Meeks’ Union County deviates from this trope—for better and for worse. It’s a portrait of addiction that’s achingly honest, but that doesn’t always make for the most compelling viewing experience.