A24 has released a new trailer for “The Adderall Diaries,” which stars James Franco and Amber Heard. The film will debut as a DirecTV Exclusive on March 10 before it receives a theatrical release on April 15.
Pamela Romanowsky wrote and directed the indie drama based on the best-selling memoir by Stephen Elliott. Franco produced alongside Vince Jolivette, Joseph McKelheer and James Reach.
Ed Harris, Christian Slater and Cynthia Nixon co-star in the film, which chronicles how an author’s fascination with a high-profile murder case leads him to come to terms with his troubled past while embarking on a potentially life-changing romance in the present. The film aims to explore a wide array of themes and ideas including the legacy of parents, the power of memory, and the nature of truth.
Franco plays the film’s flawed protagonist Stephen Elliot, a once-successful novelist paralyzed by writer’s block and an escalating Adderall dependency, who becomes obsessed with a high-profile murder case as a way to escape his personal troubles. His interest leads him to meet Lana Edmond (Heard), a smart, sexy reporter who gives him unique access to the case. As their relationship takes off, Stephen is suddenly thrust back into the past when his father (Harris), a cruel and vindictive man, shows up to challenge the veracity of the memoir Stephen is writing.
As Stephen simultaneously delves into the details of the murder case (which turns out to have some unexpected parallels to his own troubled upbringing) and reunites with his estranged father, he is forced to separate truth from lies and fact from fiction — ultimately leading him to finally reconcile his past and confront his future.