Alachua County gets to shine in a new Netflix documentary and, surprisingly, it’s not for agriculture, but cocaine.
The comedic documentary, which premiered on March 29, tells the story of Archer resident Rodney Hyden who got caught up in an old tale that could have led him out of the recession to his prior glory.
According to the documentary, there is a more than decade-old tale about a man coming across cocaine. Not knowing what to do, he buries it. At the time, the drug stash was worth $1 million, and now the price has doubled.
Whirling from the grim reality that has become his life after the recession and supported by unwavering optimism, Rodney – with the help of a strung-out friend – makes a plan to retrieve the stash of cocaine from its reported Caribbean hiding place.
Hyden is the president of B.H. Builders, Inc., which he tells viewers he started in 1998.
“I am a dreamer,” Hyden said in the documentary. “Yes, I am an optimist.”
Hyden comes from a hardworking family, and he mentions his belief he inherited from his father: Never allow someone to do for you what you can do for yourself.
The documentary follows Hyden all the way from the inception of this huge plan, to his minor involvement with a huge drug lord all the way to the final police search. While the idea is crazy and, of course, illegal, the story overall is very heartwarming because of Hyden’s narration and positivity.
Although he was criticized for being too trusting or an amatuer, Hyden moved through the plan, simply hoping everyone would give the same respect that he usually gives to get the job done.
“We didn’t set out to make a documentary in the traditional sense. We wanted to make a movie. A big, fat, entertaining movie,” said Director Theo Love in a Variety article. “I grew up thinking documentaries had to be boring, stuffy, educational films, but then I got my Netflix subscription. Netflix changed the game for docs in every way, and we’re thrilled to add to their collection of true stories.”
“The Legend of Cocaine Island” allows viewers and local residents to picture what it would be like if they came into dirty money.
