Hemlock Society

Srijit Mukherji's 2012 Bengali film is about a secret school that teaches people who want to end their lives. After losing her father, Meghna enrols and attends the classes. The premise is provocative. The course describes its methods in detail, but the narrative does not endorse them; the real purpose is to make the participants state their reasons aloud, and the process turns against itself. Parambrata Chatterjee and Koel Mallick lead. The tone sits between comedy and drama and the humour is black. The film caused argument in Bengali cinema; its handling of the subject was both defended and criticised. Who it's for: those who like Bengali cinema and unusual premises. Who it's not for: viewers uncomfortable with suicide treated through humour; the film does this throughout.