The Adderall Diaries (film)

The Adderall Diaries is a 2015 American crime thriller film directed and written by Pamela Romanowsky, based on the 2009 memoir of the same name by Stephen Elliott. The film stars James Franco, Amber Heard, Ed Harris, Christian Slater, and Cynthia Nixon.

The film follows Stephen Elliott (Franco), a writer struggling with writer's block and a strained relationship with his estranged father (Harris). He becomes fascinated by a high-profile murder trial involving Hans Reiser (Slater), a software developer accused of murdering his wife. As Elliott delves deeper into the case, he confronts his own troubled past and questions the reliability of his memories, particularly regarding his father's abusive behavior during his childhood. Lana Edmond (Heard), a journalist covering the trial, becomes romantically involved with Elliott. The film explores themes of memory, truth, manipulation, and the complexities of father-son relationships. The narrative blurs the lines between reality and perception, leaving the audience to question the veracity of Elliott's recollections and the events surrounding the Reiser case. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 16, 2015, and was released in a limited release and through video on demand on April 22, 2016, by A24.