Danny Boyle’s 'Trainspotting'

Danny Boyle’s 1996 film adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting (1993) is considered to be one of the greatest British films of all time, due to its harrowing yet entertaining exploration of drug addiction and economic depression.

Set in Edinburgh in the late 1980s, it follows Mark Renton – adeptly played by Ewan McGregor – and his band of hedonistic hooligans as they get into mischief and find themselves in bizarre situations, from bar fights to raw deals. The film has been widely acclaimed for accurately showcasing the drug experience – the good and the bad, the ups and the downs. In addition, the tackling of controversial topics (including HIV/AIDS, abortion, overdose, and nationalism) mark this film as universally accessible and relevant. The infusion of comedy and black humour throughout this film strikes a balance between the dark issues covered and the light-hearted nature of characters, like Spud (played by the magnetic Ewen Bremner)

Ewan McGregor’s Mark Renton and his struggle with sobriety is the forefront of the story. His affability and apparent harmlessness masks his profound lack of loyalty and empathy, but the reality is he’s proven to be just as complicit and morally corrupt as those he judges. He gains exhilaration in deterioration and is inconsistent with his attempts to purge himself not only from his drug addiction, but also from his ‘friends’. Despite this, he is the underclass anti-hero the audience is intended to sympathise with.

While, on the other side of things, Robert Carlyle’s notorious portrayal of Begbie will be hauntingly ingrained into the audience’s psyche. The callous and chaotic character proves to be the film’s most dangerous addict, and yet, ironically, he is one of the few characters who doesn’t use drugs, saying he will not “poison his body with drugs”. His habit of heavy drinking, however, contributes to his violent outbursts and uncontrollable behaviour. Begbie almost serves as a cautionary tale to the dangers of drinking. It is also noticeable that through this the film presents addiction in both socially sanctioned and illicit ways.

The vivid depiction and recreation of the hallucinogenic experience is owed to the use of colours and special effects, as well as editing and sound. Creating the sensation of unreality, the viewers become enraptured in the film’s visual and sensual production. Despite the fact that the film garnered criticism for its portrayal of drugs, some arguing that it glamourizes drug use, it doesn’t try to conform to a moral consensus. Instead, the film unabashedly showcases the enrapturing joy experienced when intoxicated, but not without unveiling the harsh reality of what a prolonged involvement with drugs looks like, through characters like Kevin McKidd’s Tommy and Susan Vidler’s Allison. The film does not attempt to hide the darkness and dangers of addiction; however, it does make it more accessible through the humour and visual effects – Danny Boyle masters the balance between the stimulant and sedative within filmmaking.

The ending of the film will leave you with the overbearing implication of mistrust and caution. Mark Renton, Spud, Sick Boy (played by Jonny Lee Miller) and Begbie are characters who walk among us, characters recognisable in our own society. Perhaps that was the intention all along, we are encouraged to identify ourselves in the society both Irvine Welsh and Danny Boyle have illustrated, and in doing so gain a more cohesive understanding of our own society, and in doing so, acknowledge the evidence of English imperialism and vampiric capitalist industries which has enveloped civilisation.

Helen

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References:

Boyle, Danny. (1996) Trainspotting. Channel Four Films. PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Miramax Films.

Welsh, Irvine. (1993) Trainspotting. (London: Vintage Books, 2013)