Trainspotting is driven by a fast-paced narrative following the consumerist life style of a protagonist who decides not to "choose life".
If anyone were to ever ask me what film best represents Britain's creative talents I would instantly tell them to watch Trainspotting. Film 4 is notorious for producing stupidly entertaining and intelligent masterpieces and Danny Boyles dark comedy is no exception. Following Shallow Grave, Boyle had set himself high standards for his next piece of work however he did not fail to live up to them creating a film that smashed it’s budget.
Alongside 'This is England', this is a film that boldly addresses the drug epidemic in places like Edinburgh in the 90s caused by privatisation and cuts made by Thatcher and the neglect of the lower class as a result of this. Renton, our main protagonist, is just one of many facing a severe drug addiction which he believes is a choice as stated at from the very first seconds of the film. Ewan McGregor’s strong embodiment of a lower class man who has a similar mindset to a 15-year-old boy clearly illustrates what can happen to a society when it chooses to create a group of people who feel like misfits. This is particularly evident in one of the films climaxes where Renton overdoses and Boyle uses POV worm eye shots with a low angle not only to perhaps connote Renton’s early death but also show his position in society as a drug addict.
The film also isn’t scared to create graphic and uncomfortable moments such as the early scene where Renton runs to ‘The Worst Toilet in Scotland’ forgetting what he had earlier stored in an impractical place, therefore, forcing him to dig through the toilet which Boyle approaches unconventionally. Boyle sugar-coats the moment with a magical realist sequence where Renton climes into the toilet and swims through a heavenly pool of clean water topped with a humorous comment from Renton as he finds the tablet. Unsubtle and engaging moments like these are what sets the film apart from any other. Not only does it make the viewing experience far lighter and interesting but it also creates far deeper meaning. Renton has become so reliant on substance abuse by this point that merely any task that allows him to feed these desires will be completed without a second thought as, in his eyes, choosing to live in blissful ignorance of the world around you is better than ‘choosing life’.
One criticism of the film that I will never understand is the films controversial risk of promoting drug use. Anyone who has watched the film to the end would certainly not leave thinking ‘I might take drugs, it looks fun’. Of course, Renton’s life has its positives such as the ability to live without a job or any real responsibilities. However, these positives are quickly and heavily outweighed by the negatives as we watch Renton and his friends lives crash into disaster. Renton’s recovery scene in his childhood bedroom as a flood of traumas haunt him are not to be taken lightly as we watch McGregor scream in terror. Perhaps the argument that any representation of drugs in the film could potentially be misunderstood is relevant for Trainspotting, however, if someone is uneducated enough to leave this film thinking that drugs had influenced Renton’s life positively then it is likely that they were either already on drugs or too young to be watching the film.
Overall Trainspotting is a film that will forever be remembered for its significant role in redeeming the British film industry and amplifying our culture in a way that no other film could. For that reason, I would award the film 4 stars.
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