Plot Summary:The film follows a simple structure, and shows the drug-related degradation of five youths (Jake, Tracey, Jessica, Alice, Oreo) during the course of three years. The film depicts their drug-related crimes and diseases: prostitution, male prostitution, AIDS, and lethal overdoses.
HBO premiered Black Tar Heroin, a cinema-verite chronicle of the lives of five young heroin addicts, in 2000. Nominated for an Emmy, it was one of HBO's highest rated documentaries that year.