Iboga Nights (2014)
Iboga Nights is a documentary directed by David Graham Scott. In this film, Scott explores the underground world of ibogaine, an extremely potent and unlicensed drug used for addiction treatment. Here’s what we discover:
- Iboga, a psychedelic plant root, has been used for generations in African religious ceremonies.
- Scott’s earlier film, DETOX OR DIE, documented how he quit his drug addiction with a single dose of iboga, inspiring others to do the same.
- Now, the West promotes iboga for swift, painless withdrawal from addiction.
- Scott travels from Glasgow to London and Holland, following the stories of addicts who take ibogaine and the providers who work with this powerful substance.
- In Holland, Scott films addicts undergoing a long night of psychedelic detox, closely monitored by an experienced iboga practitioner.
- However, one client collapses during the treatment, ending up on life support, and the provider faces legal consequences.
- Scott begins to question the safety of iboga treatment.
- The film culminates with a nerve-wracking iboga session in London, where Scott himself administers the treatment.
- The documentary raises ethical dilemmas: How far should one involve themselves in controversial treatments? Is iboga the addict’s perfect quick fix?
Iboga Nights takes viewers on a gripping journey into the heart of addiction, healing, and the blurred boundaries of medicine.