Ben: Diary of A Heroin Addict is a documentary film that charts the life of Ben Rogers who became a victim of heroin. Ben Rogers was expected to make a successful life. He was raised in a quiet, picturesque village. He grew up being a Boy Scout, loved cricket, played in the school orchestra and looked forward to the annual family holiday. However the decent upbringing did not translate to a good start in life. Ben found himself on the road to ruin. He began taking drugs and used to inject heroin up to four times a day. During his last months, Ben kept a video diary of his drug use and desperate attempts to come off heroin.
The film exposes his lies and manipulations told to his mother Anne. He would be taking the drug while lying to his smother about making a new start. The film shows Annes anger and pain Ben loses his fight against the drugs. It shows his father Mikes unconditional love which continues undiminished as they are forced to deal with their sons addiction.
The drug completely destroyed Ben’s body. He developed DVT and his veins were rendered so useless he had to inject into his groin. Director Olly Lambert comments: It’s incredibly rare to come across such raw and unflinching footage of a man so close to an abyss.
The film attempts to give people a visceral understanding of the nature of addiction. The filmmaker claims that it was a privilege to try and unpick who Ben really was using the intimate legacy he had left behind.
