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Erin Lee Carr is tackling another scandal. After exploring everything from rampant sexual abuse and the culture that enabled it in “At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal” to Munchausen syndrome by proxy and murder in “Mommy Dead and Dearest,” the documentary filmmaker is revisiting the 2013 arrest of 35-year-old crime drug lab chemist Sonja Farak in “How to Fix a Drug Scandal,” a four-part Netflix docuseries that’s every bit as jaw-dropping as her previous works.
“I was smoking [crack] at the lab. I was smoking at home. I actually smoked in the evidence room. I was totally controlled by my addiction,” Farak admits in her court testimony. Smoking at work was far from an isolated incident for Farak. A single chemist can handle thousands of cases a year, and initially, it wasn’t clear how long her work had been compromised — and why no one noticed.
When questions are raised about whether Farak’s work has led to wrongful convictions and the incarceration of innocent people, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and local prosecutors are quick to minimize the issue and do damage control, even suppressing evidence. A handful of defense attorneys — and later an ACLU attorney — call bullshit and demand answers.
“How to Fix a Drug Scandal” takes great care not to demonize Farak. Though undoubtedly unethical, her actions stemmed from her addiction. What’s more galling than anything Farak did was what was done to cover it up. The docuseries is an indictment of a system far less concerned with justice than efficiency.
The docuseries relies heavily on re-creations, a tactic I could have done without. Especially cheesy scenes involving Farak roaring on the stand and reproductions of her loopy, drug-induced perspective cheapen the impact of the story at times. Still, “How to Fix a Drug Scandal” is a powerful investigation of what’s been described as “one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in the history of Massachusetts,” and wider, overarching problems in the legal system.
“How to Fix a Drug Scandal” is now available to stream on Netflix.
