Chemsex, film review: How synthetic drug use has rocketed in London's gay community

(18)​ William Fairman, Max Gogarty, 80 mins

Geoffrey Macnab
Friday 04 December 2015 00:15 GMT
Comments
Over a calendar year, the film-makers invited gay men to discuss their experiences
Over a calendar year, the film-makers invited gay men to discuss their experiences

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

This grimly fascinating doc, made for the website VICE, looks at the way synthetic drug use in London's gay community has rocketed, mirrored by the HIV-positive rate. Over a calendar year, the film-makers invited gay men to discuss their experiences.

What becomes apparent is that sex and drugs have become intertwined. "The average number of partners… between five and 15 people per weekend," one interviewee notes of how promiscuity has risen.

The filmmakers, having gained very intimate access, deal in a questioning but sympathetic fashion with the "chemsex" phenomenon and with the largely unacknowledged health emergency it has caused.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in