Union County

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Union County

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1h 37m

Drama

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95%

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62 Reviews

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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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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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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Aug 14, 2026

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.

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Peter Travers

The Travers Take

Aug 14, 2026

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.

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

Aug 14, 2026

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.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Sep 3, 2026

It’s a well-crafted, quietly compelling movie that could have been better: Good as he is, Poulter’s character lacks much definition, which is something you could say for the arguably over-restrained screenplay as a whole.

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Brett Arnold

At the Movies Again

Sep 1, 2026

It's such an interior, barely-there performance...so understated yet you can see so much on his face. [Poulter is] really impressive.

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Adam Courtliff

InSession Film

Sep 1, 2026

B

As Union County draws to a close, it becomes abundantly clear that it has no intention of having a glossy Hollywood ending.

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Tony Nuke

6 days ago

Great indie film! Slow paced and not too much drama

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Ben S

@BStills 22 hrs ago

A selfless film in the best sense of the word. The subject matter and real people living with addiction come across as more important/significant than production choices or acting performances. In a world obsessed with iconography, celebrity, and attention, the movie acknowledges that small wins over big battles happen everyday across the country without much attention at all.

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Lon W

@LONWOLF1968 Sep 11, 2026

HAVING BEEN IN REHAB AND NOW SOBER 18 YEARS, I RELATED SO MUCH TO THIS FILM. I KNEW THESE PEOPLE. SOME WHO GOT SOBER AND SOME WHO FELL VICTIM TO THEIR ADDICTION. WILL POULTER JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER WITH EACH FILM AND HE GIVES THE FILM A REAL HUMAN ANCHOR AND HIS CHOICES ARE REALISTIC. NO BIG DRAMATIC JOLTS JUST VERY REAL SITUATIONS WITH MOST OF THE CAST REAL PEOPLE.

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Minnie M

@Minnie480 Sep 3, 2026

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.

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Doug J

Sep 1, 2026

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.

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Tyler C

@RT37052517 Aug 18, 2026

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.

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Adam Meeks

Director

Will Poulter

Cody Parsons

Noah Centineo

Jack

Elise Kibler

Actor

Emily Meade

Actor

Annette Deao

Annette

Union County: Trailer 1

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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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