Confessions of a Rabid Dog

What's the heroin scene really like? Why do people start to use? Can they ever stop?

Confessions of a Rabid Dog delves into questions like these with the directness you'd expect from someone who's been there. The documentary's guide is director John L'Ecuyer, who spent seven years on the streets of Montreal as a junkie and sex-trade worker. Six heroin addicts in recovery, ranging from age 20 to early 40s, share their experiences with him in a frank and unsentimental way. Interwoven with their interviews are evocative black-and-white scenes which recreate, in words and images, the emotional landscape of the drug addicted.

L'Ecuyer doesn't hide behind the camera. He tracks his own introduction to the drug scene in Montreal, his recovery in Ottawa and his new life in Toronto. His life may dispel the myth that "once a junkie, always a junkie," but, as Confessions shows, L'Ecuyer isn't hooked on self-deception. Recovery, he makes clear, is a life-long process.

Warning: This film contains explicit language and some footage of drug preparation. Previewing before use, especially with young people, is highly recommended.