Trainspotting [R]

People are always telling Mark Renton to “choose life”, “choose health”, and “choose compact disc players and electric tin openers”, but as a heroin addict surrounded by other junkies, “life” doesn’t seem so appealing. Who needs it when you’ve got heroin? But when shit hits the fan, Mark faces the fact that he has to get off the stuff, for good and real this time. He might be able to beat addiction, but he cannot ‘beat’ his so-called mates: a mixture of psychos, deviants, and persuasive junkies. 

One of the best films about drug-addiction ever, up within the company of Requiem For a Dream, The Man With the Golden Arm, and Days of Wine and Roses, Trainspotting is a confronting, shocking, and oftentimes revolting exploration into the world of addition and was both complained about acclaimed and by critics upon its release, more of that in a minute. Nowadays, it’s regarded as one of the best films of the 90s, a comment on the times, how they are changing, and peoples’ attitudes towards it all. It’s a fucking fantastic movie! 

People are always telling Mark Renton to “choose life”, “choose health”, and “choose compact disc players and electric tin openers”, but as a heroin addict surrounded by other junkies, “life” doesn’t seem so appealing. Who needs it when you’ve got heroin? But when shit hits the fan, Mark faces the fact that he has to get off the stuff, for good and real this time. He might be able to beat addiction, but he cannot ‘beat’ his so-called mates: a mixture of psychos, deviants, and persuasive junkies. 

When critics complained about this movie upon its release, it was merely for the fact that director Danny Boyle, as well as the entire film in general, didn’t take a stand on drugs and addiction, and didn’t appear to make judgement. But this is exactly why the film has been so successful. Despite the medium being one that can broadcast messages to the masses, the cinema also serves as a method of looking into other worlds that we don’t really know about and Trainspotting’s depiction of the ultimate ‘loser’ existence works just on this level. The entire film is an exploration into another world, without a moral or judgmental message attached to it. The realist depiction of addiction is enough to frighten away anyone, especially when coupled with the terrifying hallucinations that come with the protagonist’s attempt to detox. Amongst the most iconic images that this movie features, and is ultimately known for, is the image of a dead baby crawling across the ceiling and performing an Exorcist 180-degree head spin. It’s eerie and frightening stuff and Ewan McGregor’s terrified screams that could rival Brando’s Streetcar calls of “Stella!” make the scene all the more horrific. 

What’s great about this movie is that it just runs on talent and talent alone. Based on the controversial book by Irvine Welsh, it can most simply be pitched as a film that shows the disintegration of junkies’ lives. The confronting images and hallucinatory sequences lift it out of the ‘worst toilet in Scotland’ and sit it on the hills of the highlands, before bringing it back down to earth with a crass and sober cry of “it’s shite to be Scottish!” The script is wonderfully witty and brusque and achieves a certain ‘poetic’ stance despite the fact that all the dialogue is very hard and the attitudes very bleak. Its contradictions make it all the more compelling and John Hodges should be applauded. 

The soundtrack is something that is worth a mention too as there is no score composed to accompany any scenes. The entire soundtrack is made up of a montage of British pop/rock and classic music, the most notable artists being Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, Georges Bizet, Lou Reed, and Johann Sebastian Bach. 

Starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Kelly Macdonald, Shirley Henderson, and Robert Carlyle, which freaked me out because it was so weird seeing Hamish Macbeth as a violent psycho whose every second word was “cunt”, Trainspotting is a brilliant movie packed with drama, mind-fucking hallucinations, crime, and comedy. It’s absolutely brilliant and a film that I think everyone should see at least once in their lives!