Get your fix of films

Drug addiction can eat you up from inside like termites eating through wood, till your life comes crashing down like an uprooted tree. Photographer Ronny Sen’s debut feature film, Catsticks, explores that sordid subject through the lens of Kolkata’s junkies, exposing the city’s underbelly. I have seen people’s lives there spiral downwards due to brown sugar. It’s as if the addict’s entire existence is consumed by the drug, and he is as helpless about it as a hungry dog is when it sees a slab of meat. But to Sen’s credit, he treats his protagonists with a certain sense of empathy. And his shutterbug sensibilities make for stark visuals accentuated by the cinematography. So catch the film when it releases on a streaming platform this weekend. Spend an hour-and-a-half getting your movie-watching fix.