The Marijuana Conspiracy is "based on a true story" about young women who participate in a marijuana study. We are back in 1972 in Toronto where we meet young women whose lives are filled with misogyny and racism.
We spend a lot of time in the film meeting the young women who will be in the study. Then we learn more about them in the study itself.
They have to be inside for 98 days, smoking marijuana twice a night, with no outside contact (other than letters) and no fresh air.
While smoking marijuana for 98 days sounds fun, especially in 1972, money is their motivation. When the people in charge of the experiment bump up the THC, money gets the women back on track.
Mary (Julia Sarah Stone) has been using her friend's place as a crash pad. She has a lot of trust issues. The other young women have various stories with a bit more stability.
Marissa (Morgan Kohan) wants to open her own graphics company. Mourinda (Tymika Tafari) wants to go to law school. Janice (Kyla Young) wants to make money to travel even more. Jane (Brittany Bristow) wants to relocate to Victoria.
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Nurse Alice Jones (Marie Ward) is labeled as Nurse Ratched based on the 1962 Ken Kesey book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, not the 1975 film that hadn't been made yet. The nurse has her own secret based on the times.
The cast features Luke Bilyk, Alanna Bale, Greg Calderone, Paulino Nunes, Paula Boudreau, Jordan Todosey, and Derek McGrath.
Craig Pryce wrote and directed the film. The movie spends a lot on female bonding and friendship; the marijuana is the gateway to female relationships and nothing more sinister.
The only major drawback is that the film spends too much time in the before stage, almost a quarter of the film. Ideally that would have been cut in half. A minor point for an obvious solid film.
The end of the film (no spoilers) tells us what happened to the young women in the study. Then we see current Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing the legalization of marijuana. A fitting end, given the mentions of his father from 1972 on the possibility of legalizing marijuana.
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The Marijuana Conspiracy received 2 Canadian Screen Awards nominations in 2021 for costume design and makeup.
The Marijuana Conspiracy is currently available on Hulu in the United States. Today is the last day the film is part of the Telefilm Canada's Made in Canada Spotlight campaign through the Apple TV app.
video credit: YouTube/Samuel Goldwyn Films
photo credit: The Marijuana Conspiracy film
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