In 'The Breakthrough Group,' an addiction recovery program demands nothing less than complete dedication.

      Addiction is so destructive that even costly rehabilitation centers experience high relapse rates. However, “The Breakthrough Group,” a new documentary short directed by Ben Rekhi, highlights a Salt Lake City program that claims a higher-than-average success rate, where participants contribute their work and dedication instead of money.

      The film captures a few days at The Other Side Academy, led by executive director Dave Durocher, who achieved sobriety after spending 27 years in and out of prison. He guides participants through strict principles emphasizing honesty and accountability.

      Rather than being a short-term rehabilitation program, this is a therapeutic community requiring participants to commit to at least 30 months of on-site living, engaging in what the community describes as a “commitment to a deeply rigorous process of personal change.”

      Notably, this program operates without any governmental or insurance funding, nor does it accept money from participants or their families. Instead, participants fund their stay through jobs in a moving company and thrift boutique, with no medical professionals present — the guidance comes from others in recovery.

      The film, which premiered in July at the Indy Shorts Film Festival, offers an intimate view of the participants’ challenges and triumphs. It adopts a gritty, observational style to showcase the daily workings of the program while illustrating the stability and peace it brings to those involved.

      Rekhi is an acclaimed filmmaker who, after working in the camera department on the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou, was hired by George Clooney to film behind-the-scenes footage for Clooney’s directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He later produced the Independent Spirit Award-nominated Bomb the System and directed the SXSW Audience Award-winning Waterborne, followed by five years at film finance company IM Global.

      He returned to directing with The Ashram, a spiritual thriller featuring Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo, Kal Penn, and Radhika Apte. His most recent documentary, The Reunited States, executive produced by Van Jones and Meghan McCain, focuses on healing divisions in America and premiered on PBS in 2022. He is currently in post-production for Last Man In Tower, based on Aravind Adiga’s book.

      We spoke with Rekhi, Durocher, and Joseph Grenny, a bestselling author who co-founded The Other Side Academy after forming a friendship with a Utah County Jail inmate determined to change his life after reading one of Grenny's books.

      Having faced addiction in his own family, Grenny possesses firsthand knowledge of the struggles involved.

      Ben Rekhi, Joseph Grenny, and Dave Durocher discuss The Other Side Academy and ‘The Breakthrough Group.’

      “Breakthrough Group” director Ben Rekhi, center, with The Other Side Academy founder Joseph Grenny, left, and executive director Dave Durocher. – Credit: Courtesy of “The Breakthrough Group”

      MovieMaker: Ben, how did you become a filmmaker? What drew you to this story?

      Ben Rekhi: Growing up in the 90s, I started making adventure and sci-fi films with friends in our backyards. After attending film school in New York, I began producing and directing mainly indie dramas. I shifted to documentaries after 2016, aiming to use cinema to bridge societal divides. A journalist I met wrote about The Other Side Academy, a powerful community offering intense interventions to inspire hope for those who had given up on themselves. Their bold approach showed real outcomes.

      Having previously struggled with addiction and depression, I contacted Joseph and Dave, expressing, “I believe what you're doing here can truly assist others in need.”

      MovieMaker: Joseph and Dave, how did you establish a therapeutic community? What distinguishes it from a rehab clinic?

      Joseph Grenny: It was important for me to create The Other Side Academy because the current rehabilitation system is severely flawed. There’s no accountability for outcomes, transparency, and a process that ultimately crushes hope with its high rates of failure. Good people are involved, but the system itself is detrimental. Then it became personal.

      One after another, our boys fell into drug addiction, navigating through the criminal justice system. We witnessed how individuals arrested once often end up in the system repeatedly. It's a cycle designed to foster criminal behavior. At that time, our children weren't interested in help from their parents. We chose to engage in the battle for change rather than step back. The Other Side Academy represents that battle.

      Dave Durocher: I spent 27 years cycling in and out of prison due to serious drug addiction, drug dealing, and gun-running. After a police chase ended that phase of my life, I wrote to another therapeutic community, Delancey Street in San Francisco, and was accepted.

      Rather than serving a lengthy 22-year prison sentence, I invested eight and a half years in a transformative program, which became one of my best choices. I was invited to manage it for the last five years.

      Simultaneously, Joseph was researching Delance