The Adderall Diaries 2016

Stephen Elliott, a successful author, grapples with the shadows of his troubled childhood. Having lost his mother at a young age and subjected to both physical and psychological abuse from his father, his life has largely been marked by self-destructive behaviors, including drug abuse and petty vandalism. Recently, he secured a deal to write his next book, focusing on the notorious Hans Reiser, a software genius renowned for creating the Reiser file-system. Reiser’s life is turbulent; his volatile marriage is marred by the mysterious disappearance of his wife. While Hans claims his wife has merely gone into hiding to cause him pain, he finds himself arrested for her murder and is currently on trial.

As Stephen follows the trial closely, attending court each day, he hopes to weave this sensational case into a bestseller. Coinciding with the release of his memoir about his own childhood trauma, Stephen is faced with a cringe-worthy moment during the release party. While passionately reading about the agony caused by his late father, Neil Elliott, his father disrupts him from the audience, calling him a liar. This public confrontation leads Stephen to doubt the authenticity of his childhood memories.

In a spiral of despair, seeking respite, he indulges in drugs, visits a nightclub, and ends up sleeping with a stranger. The next day, he wakes to a series of alarming voice-mails: his publisher has dropped him due to his absence at a crucial meeting, and a girl he was starting to connect with has ended things. To intensify his emotional turmoil, he realizes he missed the jury’s verdict for Hans Reiser, who has been found guilty of murder.

In a poignant turn of events, Stephen reaches out to his father, who is now near death and wishes to reconcile. Through this heartfelt conversation, Stephen comes to terms with his father’s flawed but well-intentioned parenting. He discovers that many of his deeply ingrained memories of abuse are, in fact, misremembered; a vivid recollection of his father handcuffing him until he bled was an attempt by Neil to restrain him during a self-harm crisis.

Ultimately, Stephen finds clarity and takes just two days to pen a new manuscript about his journey toward forgiveness and understanding with his father. His agent, impressed by his work, vows to secure him a new publisher. Meanwhile, the media reports that Hans has finally confessed to murdering his wife, revealing that his actions stemmed from a moment of rage when he learned she intended to leave him and take their children. In a further twist, he has disclosed the location of her remains to the police in exchange for a reduced sentence.