Louis Theroux, Drinking to Oblivion: the British documentarian returns with a heartbreaking look at alcoholism in south London

The brilliant filmmaker is back with a 60-minute film largely shot at King’s College Hospital
Sympathetic: Louis Theroux displays a deft touch with his interviewees, including Aurelie
BBC
Ben Travis24 April 2016

With a cult following and a brilliant back catalogue of work, Louis Theroux is one of Britain’s best and most well-loved documentary filmmakers.

Now he’s back with his latest work, Drinking to Oblivion – a 60-minute look at alcoholism in south London.

As with much of Theroux’s more recent work it’s a deeply sad topic, approached from a warm and human perspective.

Instead of offering staggering statistics and shock-and-awe tactics, Theroux’s quietly powerful film sees him follow a series of people who find themselves in King’s College Hospital due to their drinking.

There’s Pieter, grieving the death of his father and spiralling back into patterns of alcohol abuse that could see his partner of three years, Mariana, have to leave him. Then there’s Aurelie, who lives a subdued life consigned to the steady habit that she knows will lead her to an early death, with a new boyfriend who certainly doesn’t seem to have her best interests at heart.

Most shocking is Joe, the first person we meet in the documentary. He’s in a bad, bad way – sketchy, right at the brink, and being detoxed by the hospital. When he’s off the booze he’s a different person entirely, but his upwards and downwards cycles offer perhaps the clearest view of an addiction that has a potent hold on its victims. Can he take control before he deals himself serious damage?

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Theroux is as watchable as ever, once again displaying a deft touch with his interviewees. For fans of his work, Drinking to Oblivion is another must-see.

BBC Two, Sunday, 9pm

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