Jimmy waits at 7 a.m. by the doors of a liquor store to get his first beer of the morning; anxiety-ridden, he wonders aloud if he can make it, mentally and physically, to his next drink. Jimmy has a background in Biology and has been drinking since age 13. He is one voice, one portrait, in A Wave Of Compassion, a fast-moving, yet in-depth documentary film that explores the epidemic of addiction from an intriguing range of unconventional perspectives. A Wave Of Compassion is a pastiche of interviews, voice-overs, and stories, resulting in a visually captivating and emotionally honest portrait of addiction that differs perceptively from the usual moralizing or clinical approaches. At times humorous, at times surprising, at times revelatory, A Wave Of Compassion looks beyond stereotypes at the many faces of addiction.

What is it like to be a "functioning alcoholic?" How does it feel to know you are in the throes of an addiction and to be resigned to it, perhaps even fond of it? What are the factors that keep recovering addicts from recovering?

These are questions A Wave Of Compassion explores as it follows a summer with Jimmy, interspersed with the voices and faces of recovered addicts and those who have effectively overcome addiction and/or helped others to do so. A Wave Of Compassion features interviews with Lench Archuleta; a Yaqui Shaman, Daniel Peralta; a spiritual counselor at a Hawaii state prison, Wendi Fox; a stand-up comedian, and many other voices of experience. These interviews, which are presented more as flashes of insight than extended talking heads, take us beyond rehearsed, outdated beliefs that demonize addicts. A Wave Of Compassion's mission is to free the moral judgment placed on individuals with addictions and to explore the reality that deeper understanding, as well as compassion, are needed in the way our society constructs and addresses addiction.

The film's montage editing techniques keep its viewers engaged experientially with the reality that there is no one answer. A Wave Of Compassion is not advocating a solution; it is opening up our vision. With the help of an emotionally rich musical score, it suggestively depicts the many complex attitudes our culture supports about addictive lifestyles. A Wave Of Compassion compels us to reconsider everything we have been told about addiction and its treatment.

A Wave Of Compassion will open your mind and heart to the human face of addiction.