I wasn't expecting too much from this (timely) Slovakian update on the Requiem for a Dream, Drugstore Cowboy, Another Day in Paradise trope.

The story of a supposed innocent in the sleazy fentanyl production and distribution cycle will probably resonate with far too many young people who are already damaged by gaden shed chemistry, and its inevitable pursuit of the big bucks. Fentrepreneurs assemble!

It's well shot, and reasonably well acted, but the plot is a bit shallow, and character development doesn't really figure beyond the "heroine". The cops are just basic Eurocrime cyphers.

At least there's no attempt to add a fatuous Hollywooden gloss to proceedings, outside the direct lifting of the bloodstream sequence from Requiem.

Anyone who's had contact with fentanyl users would struggle to believe the abnormally good physical and mental health of the characters, who are frequently seen bingeing on the brown stuff. Something which comes across as wilfully naive on the part of the screenwriters.

That said, it's worth a watch imho, because it's well grounded in the greed, fear, and callous sociopathy of grubby modern street drug reality. No glib one liners. Too much effort.

It's also nicely shot, lit, and edited for the most part, and quite absorbing as a result.

Slovakia's fentanyl scene is not yet as terminally barbaric as the hardcore USA version, but fairly accurate for Europe's blossoming opiate hecatomb. We should be grateful that Krokodil never made it out of Russia. Small mercies.

It's a timely reminder that people on the bottom rung of society wil inevitably seek powdery oblivion as an alternative to their increasingly drab and meaningless existence; regardless of language or location.

I was impressed by the fact that the appearance and actions of the Russian mob characters are way less overblown than the standard US gold-chained suave meathead persona favoured by the majority of English language film makers.

They're believably banal, preferring the quiet life in the shadows to open warfare, unless you want to take their market share.