For all those who have experienced drug addiction, it isn’t just a mere fleeting high. What potent ecstasy must it brew up to allow a man to squander and fritter away his prospects, life and even loved ones ?
Trainspotting is essentially, a story. And a very well told one at that. Danny Boyle's first major feature after the criminally underrated "Shallow Grave", it presents drug addiction in a form that delights and horrifies in equal measure. Adapted from Irvine Walsh's book of the same name, it follows five friends and their dalliances with drugs in Edinburgh
Narrated by Renton (Ewan McGregor), the film
is about him and his friends: Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Johnny Lee
Miller),Tommy (Kevin McKidd) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle). All except Begbie and
Tommy swear by drugs and regard it as their reason for existence. Begbie is
addicted to violence and loves picking up fights in bars.
The film's black humour is a pleasant
surprise and could be considered akin to 'Pulp Fiction' in pop culture
reverence terms. However, the real strength of the film lies in it's depiction
of what it believes to be a story, without any taking of sides. When Renton
tells us “Choose your future. Choose life . . . But
why would I want to do a thing like that ? I chose not to choose life: I chose
something else. And the reasons ? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when
you've got heroin ?"
We begin to see where this will go. The
friends have no place to stay and no one to care about or for. They are truly
the Lost Boys .
When Renton's parents lock him into a room
to go cold turkey on his addiction, we see the full horror when he is tortured
by his days of ecstasy. The drugs within him turn into enemies that torment him
every second of his ordeal. His friends continue their drug fuelled ecstasy
ride with disastrous consequences. Begbie's character is interesting because of
his addiction to violence. He isn't so much a danger to himself as to others.
Danny Boyle does very well in bringing out
what he wanted to do. He succeeds in creating a film that is fun, serious and
not at all preachy. His ease is apparent in the many memorable scenes that dot
the film. The music is full of the eclectic pop rock that we've come to expect
from British movies and plays a major part in not letting things get too
serious.
A major theme here is the one of
camaraderie between the drug users. They appear to be good friends, best mates
even. However, as the ending shows their friendship didn't mean that much at
all. Or maybe, it was the fact that addicts do not care who comes in their way
to do what they must.
Ewan McGregor as Renton is good and comes
across as a character we might like to be friends with, despite all his
despicable traits. His scene in 'The Worst Toilet In Scotland' is one of the
most vomit inducing scenes you shall ever see and he deserves special praise
for allowing himself to go through with it.
What shines through all this is however the inherent simplicity of the film. At no point does it claim to be a British 'Pulp Fiction' and simply looks like a likeable story strung together very capably. There are no complications, no deep characterisations and the almost bare bones look gives the film a character of it's own. It is what we could call a cult film. With some Edinburgh slang ('shite') and some brilliantly understated black humour, this is one film that should be watched. Not for its drug themes, not for its lessons but simply as an exercise in entertainment. And if you learn something, so much the better.
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