A24 has released the first trailer for The Adderall Diaries, the dramatic thriller starring James Franco as Stephen Elliot, a has-been author whose fascination with a high-profile murder case leads him to his own troubled past. When Stephen uses his obsession with a famous murder case to avoid his personal troubles, he finds that the case unexpectedly brings him a new romance with the trial reporter Lana Edmond (Amber Heard) while forcing him to confront old issues with his abusive father (Ed Harris).

As the feature debut for writer-director Pamela Romanowsky, it's a bit hard to get a read on The Adderall Diaries from the trailer, which seems to be toeing a line between sexy thriller and family drama. However, A24 has a reputation for picking up exciting, compelling films and Franco has shown little recent interest in commercial fare as of late, opting for more offbeat, thought-provoking vehicles, so it certainly piques my curiosity.

The Adderall Diaries also stars Christian Slater, Cynthia Nixon, Jim Parrack and Wilmer Valderrama, and debuts exclusively on DirecTV on March 10th before arriving in theaters on April 15th. Watch the trailer below.


Here's the official synopsis.

Based on the bestselling memoir by Stephen Elliott, The Adderall Diaries is the gripping and complex story of 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.

 

James Franco plays 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 (Amber 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 (Ed 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.


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Image via A24