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Union County

Play trailer 2:12 Poster for Union County Aug 2026 1h 37m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 61 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Will Poulter and Noah Centineo deliver pitch-perfect performances as brothers Cody and Jack Parsons, each navigating a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in a pocket of rural Ohio hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Provided with hope for the first time since their struggles began and with the support of a tireless counselor (Annette Deao), the brothers work toward a brighter, sober future. Poulter and Centineo blend seamlessly with a supporting cast composed predominantly of non-professional actors as they share their actual experiences, pain, and optimism as they, themselves, navigate the program. Ohio-born filmmaker Adam Meeks creates a film imbued with realism for an honest, compassionate portrait of a battle being fought across America and the solidarity that flowers on its front lines.
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Union County

Union County

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Critics Consensus

Union County is an austere yet deeply compassionate portrait of addiction and recovery, finding clear-eyed humanity in the difficult, often cyclical work of rebuilding lives.

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Critics Reviews

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Robert Abele Los Angeles Times Aug 14
The right mix of true and imagined can give the simplest of humane narratives — in this case, the possibility of renewal in an epidemic of hurt — a fresher chance to touch us. Go to Full Review
Peter Travers The Travers Take Aug 14
3/4
This riveting mix of fact and fiction puts real opioid addicts in competition with actors to see who can play addiction best. It’s no contest. Go to Full Review
Matt Zoller Seitz RogerEbert.com Aug 14
4/4
[It] succeeds as an intimate story about addicts fighting inner demons that ended many lives, but also as austere cinematic object that draws on cinema’s past for inspiration but never feels imitative or coldly theoretical. Go to Full Review
Brett Arnold At the Movies Again 1d
It's such an interior, barely-there performance...so understated yet you can see so much on his face. [Poulter is] really impressive. Go to Full Review
Adam Courtliff InSession Film 2d
B
As Union County draws to a close, it becomes abundantly clear that it has no intention of having a glossy Hollywood ending. Go to Full Review
Joe Creely In Review Online Aug 21
Where lesser filmmakers could have allowed this to develop like a cheap shortcut to authenticity, in execution here the characters’ looks of pride...gives the film it’s brightest light amidst the dark. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Minnie M @Minnie480 3h Definitely a slow burn, but the atmosphere completely got me. It's bleak without being miserable, and the characters feel like actual people rather than movie characters. See more Doug J 2d Almost reminiscent of Barbara Coppel’s great documentary Harlan County USA. This paints a portrait of people in Southern, Ohio, and opioid addiction among poor white people. I kept wondering how people could fall so far and so deep and yet the film quietly answers the question. Not a single laugh in the film but great humanity and a beautiful character study. See more Tyler C @RT37052517 Aug 18 Union County takes a raw look at addiction, recovery, and the people who live and walk that path daily. With an all to real narrative backed up by extremely strong performances Union County delivers a glimpse into a world some might have never seen and many choose to actively look away from. See more Grace E @GraceReviews26 Aug 17 it is a touching film about addiction, recovery and hope. Will Poulter and Noah Centineo give strong performances, making the story feel realistic and emotional. Overall, it is a meaningful film with an inspiring message. See more Bill E @BillEAZ7448 Aug 15 A good, hard hitting representation on drug addiction in the Ohio valley. What carries this film is the superb acting, and use of addicts who have gone through the program. This is a “slow burn” but worth the time investment. See more Silke S @Silkeway Aug 15 Union County is an addiction movie that doesn't shout; it sits with you quietly, and it's devastating for it. Adam Meeks' debut refuses melodrama for something harder: a compassionate look at people reassembling lives that addiction scattered to pieces. Will Poulter anchors it as Cody Parsons with a rawness that never feels like performance, the wary courage of someone who's failed before and knows the odds. But Noah Centineo quietly walks away with the film. As Jack, he's luminous and heartbreaking, the lovable people-pleaser who lights up every room so no one sees the darkness he's carrying. He deflects his pain with a grin, terrified of being a burden, and Centineo plays it so tenderly you ache. Sharing the screen with real recovery-program participants, the seams vanish. The result is a window into forgiveness, the hope of normalcy, and small acts of love on the front lines of a national tragedy. No easy answers, just honesty and empathy. A deeply sad, deeply human triumph. See more Read all reviews
Union County

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Movie Info

Synopsis Will Poulter and Noah Centineo deliver pitch-perfect performances as brothers Cody and Jack Parsons, each navigating a court-mandated drug rehabilitation program in a pocket of rural Ohio hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Provided with hope for the first time since their struggles began and with the support of a tireless counselor (Annette Deao), the brothers work toward a brighter, sober future. Poulter and Centineo blend seamlessly with a supporting cast composed predominantly of non-professional actors as they share their actual experiences, pain, and optimism as they, themselves, navigate the program. Ohio-born filmmaker Adam Meeks creates a film imbued with realism for an honest, compassionate portrait of a battle being fought across America and the solidarity that flowers on its front lines.
Director
Adam Meeks
Producer
Brad Becker-Parton, Martha Gregory, Stephanie Roush, Faye Tsakas, Sean Weiner, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Ellyn Daniels, Will O'Connor, Will Poulter
Screenwriter
Adam Meeks
Distributor
Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co
Seaview, Arkhum Productions, Kindred Spirit
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 14, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 37m
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