When it comes to creating a compelling documentary, the process surprisingly often starts with putting the camera down. As Host John Sheldon’s guest on this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety explains, establishing a relational trust element is essential to capturing those intimate moments that make us forget we’re watching a film. In his absorbing new project, set in a real-world rehab facility, Director Jared Callahan integrates us into the minute-to-minute struggle that is addiction, changing and re-shaping our understanding of it as a disease.  “Clean Slate,” a release from People People Media, tells the raw and very personal story of two roommates who hatch a plan to make a short film about their recovery journey – while still on their recovery journey.
By putting a vulnerable and unflinching lens on addiction, Jared and his team personalize its grip on sufferers and their families. The hope, says the director, is to cultivate new levels of empathy and broader awareness. “I could have used more statistics or graphs, but for this film the best way was just to say these are the guys and this is the reality at this time,” says Jared, who is also a pastor. “These are people who are your family and neighbors.” The film-within-a-film narrative opens a unique window onto recovery, highlighting the healing power of creativity, even in the face of relapse and isolation. You’ll come away from this conversation eager to watch “Clean Slate” (available on these streaming platforms) and share it with others. Community, says the director, is what knits together hope and progress along the lifelong journey that is recovery. It’s all about building trust and accountability, capturing the beauty of returning to things we have loved and lost along the way. “People who work in recovery circles laugh really hard and cry really hard,” says Jared, “and in that they are not pretending to be perfect. They are just very real.”
“Clean Slate” is available now across all streaming media platforms, including at Amazon Prime, Apple TV and on YouTube.
Key Takeaways

* About the inspiration behind “Clean Slate”: How Jared surprised himself by getting sucked into the compelling story of two roommates – aspiring filmmakers – in rehab.
* How Jared used both the film-within-a-film and a foundational trust relationship as a portal into a very specific, raw season of his subjects’ lives.
* The recovery environment itself is a sort of central character in the film, holding space for the laughter, tears and vulnerability that form the heart of the documentary.
* The Brutality of Relapse: About the real-time story of a principle in the film whose course to recovery is not straight.
* What Jared Hopes People Get Out of “Clean Slate”: