Trainspotting

Trainspotting

Starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle

Directed by Danny Boyle

The Story:
In Edinburgh, friends Renton (Ewan McGregor), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Spud (Ewen Bremner), Tommy (Kevin McKidd) and Bebie (Robert Carlyle) are heroin addicts who live for their next fix (except for Bebie, who feels superior for not doing heroin, yet spends most of the film in a psychotic state, assaulting anyone for pretty much any reason; and Tommy, who Renton labels as the "truth teller" saying it's one of Tommy's biggest flaws).  Renton seems to be the most grounded of his group, while Sick Boy tries to pull con after con, and Spud is so incredibly simple-minded that he really doesn't know what's going on even if he's sober.  The film focuses on Renton and his desire to get clean, yet failing at every attempt, as well as the downward spiral Renton and his friends ride as they look for their next fix in order to escape the real world around them.

The Synopsis:
"Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a f****** big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of f****** fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the f*** you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing f****** junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, f***** up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?"

Renton's opening soliloquy is the essence of what "Trainspotting" is.  It's not a film that glorifies drug use, or focuses on the negative aspects of it, but rather it shows how drugs serve as an escape from the mundane, from the status quo, from what everyone at one point in their lives have to do: choose life.  Face responsibilities, consequences, and fears.  These are things Renton and his friends choose not to do, yet they're all issues they still have to face, because no matter how much you hide from it, you can't hide from life.

"Trainspotting" is based off a book by Irvine Welsh, and in an interview with the author, he gives an explanation for the title: to non-addicts, the act of using heroin seems completely pointless whereas, to someone hooked on heroin, it makes absolute sense.  This is why there's so much in the movie that doesn't make sense to the non-drug user, such as Renton's strong desire to get back the drugs he used as a suppository after using the dirtiest bathroom in town, and the tragic events behind the death of an infant and their odd reaction to it.  To them, the real world doesn't exist, it's the world they create that's reality.

For most drug users, they say it's not the drug itself as the reason why they do it, but because of the friends around them.  While the drug supplies a form of pleasure, there's the added aspect of doing it with like-minded people around you that gives you an odd sense of community.  Much like fans of a particular sports team, you share a common interest with other people and you don't have to hide who you really are.  This is the basis of the toxic friendship of the five main individuals in the film, people your parents warned you about when you were a child.  

Yet, Renton desires at times to quit the drugs and lead a clean life.  He tries on a few occasions and fails, but one attempt almost results in success, in a trippy, visually stunning scene of him detoxing in his bedroom as he hallucinates his friends, family, and other frightening images that mess with his mind.  Director Danny Boyle shows that getting off a drug isn't easy, isn't glamorous, and requires a lot out of the person desiring to quit.  Having beat the habit, Renton goes on to land a successful job and seems to be going on the straight-and-narrow path - until his friends return and pull him back in again.  As stated before, sometimes it's not the drug itself, but those you do it with that keep you on it.

Running down the performances show how great the film is, and how terrible it could've turned out if done by lesser actors.  Ewan McGregor takes the lead as Renton, and performs brilliantly as a man who wants to do right, but also doesn't mind doing wrong.  He's an ambiguous bloke who walks the line, seems to be a good friend, yet is incredibly flawed.  Jonny Lee Miller's Sick Boy is obsessed with Sean Connery and creating cons to benefit himself, even at the cost of his friends.  Ewen Bremner is the most innocent of the users, showcasing an almost child-like innocence throughout as well as having faulty thinking capabilities.  Kevin McKidd's Tommy doesn't partake in the drug life as often, and is more focused on his love life.  Robert Carlyle also doesn't do heroin, yet he gives the most eclectic performance as a man truly unhinged, filled with anger, someone who takes out said anger on anyone around him (from a guy just eating chips to another he accidentally bumps into).

As the friends look for their next fix, they face the consequences of their actions.  From prison to bar fights to underage sex to death, AIDS, and crimes, "Trainspotting" is far from a film that glorifies drugs, or even advocates against it - it just shows what addicts go through and focuses on those who go through it with them.

The Summary:

"Trainspotting" is listed as one of the best British films of all time, and there's no surprise why.  It deals with a heavy-handed subject manner without pandering to it, it features an amazing cast, and offers one of the most prolific directors behind the camera.  With a great musical Britpop score by the likes of Blur, New Order, Primal Scream, Iggy Pop and Pulp, "Trainspotting" is a pop phenomena that withstands the test of time and delivers an unflinching look at drug addiction and the lengths people to go get that next high.

The Score: A+