Quirky comedy and paranoid thrills converge in Blow Up My Life, an indie production that targets the pharmaceutical industry with stern commentary and high entertainment value.

Blow Up My Life begins with man-on-the-run Jason Trumble (Jason Selvig) playing his best version of hard-boiled detective as he records his musings into a voice recorder. Jason explains how after riding high from developing a successful opioid addiction recovery app for (fictional) pharmaceutical company Forenza, an embarrassing social media post saw him become a social pariah and living out of his van.

Searching for a way back into the good graces of Forenza, Jason instead comes across a conspiracy involving his former employer, information Forenza would do anything - and kill anyone - to keep secret. “I couldn’t believe this big pharmaceutical company was in it for the money” the comically naïve Jason proclaims at one point.

Creating an entertainingly funny film while delving into serious subject matter can be a tightrope of tone and taste, yet directors and writers Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton succeed in doing so. While social commentary wise Blow Up My Life doesn’t bring anything new to the subject of the opioid crisis in the US, using the hot-button-issue as background in a conspiracy-thriller-black-comedy without dipping a pinkie-toe in the pool of exploitation is impressive.

Key to making it all work is the lead performance by Jason Selvig. With his blend of (pre-Jack Ryan) John Krasinski lanky charm and Steve Carrell goofball naivety, Selvig delivers on both the comedy and drama fronts as a man way over his head yet too naïve to realise it. Great chemistry is shared with Kara Young, who in her role of hacker Charlie August brings the right amount of grit to counter Selvig’s aloofness.

Snappy editing by Dickie and Horton, and an impressive synth score by P. Rose that reminds of the Harold Faltermeyer (Beverly Hills Cop) compositions from the eighties, rounds out a witty and thrilling genre mash-up.