One day, while browsing through record bins, Sean “Pellet” Pelletier comes across an album that literally changes his life. The band is Pentagram, and Pellet is blown away by what seems like an amazing, undiscovered ’70s metal band. After some searching, he locates Pentagram’s visionary lead singer, Bobby Liebling, who is dosing himself with a steady mix of crack, heroin, and meth in his parents’ basement. With a decades-long history of self-destruction and missed opportunities, Bobby seems the very embodiment of “wasted.” But from that point, Pellet’s single-minded purpose in life is to get Bobby off drugs and back on stage with Pentagram. It’s a mission that anyone can see is crazy, yet it sets off an extraordinary roller coaster ride toward redemption.
By inviting us to see Bobby through Pellet’s eyes, filmmakers Don Argott and Demian Fenton (THE ART OF THE STEAL) create an immediate connection that compels us to root for Bobby and rally behind him when he relapses. Bobby’s love for the music and yearning for love prove strong enough to convince us he can conquer his demons; his sense of humor and vulnerability make him riveting. Against the odds, we come to have faith in him, which pays off in an ending you would call unbelievable if it were anything other than the documented truth.
