THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Maturity can come for almost everyone, but it never comes immediately. I understood that big time in Trainspotting.
PLOT
Based on the titular novel by Irving Welsh, the film takes place in Leith, Edinburgh, following heroin addict Mark ‘Rent Boy’ Renton. Everyday, he continues his terrible habit of drug use with his friends that include: Simon ‘Sick Boy’ Williamson, his girlfriend Allison (Susan Vidler), Daniel ‘Spud’ Murphy, and Swanney aka Mother Superior (Peter Mullan). He also hangs out with the aggressive alcoholic Francis 'Franco' Begbie and Tommy Mackenzie, the latter of which has no addiction and warns him how dangerous his habit is. This advice inspires Renton to try to wean away from it. However, his attempt to distance himself from it only increases his sexual desire, in which he meets a lady named Diane at a nightclub. They have sex when we first met, but little does he realize until the following morning that she is an underage teen, who threatens to report him to the police if he tries to end their relationship. After multiple attempts to abandon his bad habits, Renton relapses and Tommy dabbles into drug use after breaking up with his girlfriend Lizzy (Pauline Lynch). The reason comes from him losing their sex tape, unbeknownst that it was stolen by Renton. The attempts to recover when Sick Boy's infant daughter dies as a result of neglect. After getting caught shoplifting, Renton tries a rehab program whereas Spud receives a custodial sentence of six months. Renton only relapses again despite being given methadone to help him recover. This time, his relapse causes him to overdose and after he recovers at the hospital, his parents lock him in his bedroom and force him to go through withdrawal. After being haunted of hallucinations during his period of withdrawal, he is let go under the condition of an HIV/AIDS test, in which he luckily tests negative. However, Tommy got tested HIV positive as his addiction worsened. With Renton officially clean, he takes Diane's advice to move to London. When he does, he gets the job of a property letting agent. The enjoyment of his new life gets quickly halted when Begbie takes up refuge in his apartment after being wanted for a failed robbery. Sick Boy does the same as he plans to be a pimp/drug dealer. Renton tries to get them off his back by sending them to a property that is said to be impossible to sale. But when they attack clientele, it causes him to lose his job. That leads to the three returning to Edinburgh to attend Tommy's funeral, who died of toxoplasmosis. At that point, Spud is released from prison and Sick Boy convinces the rest of the group to buy two kilograms of pure heroin from a dealer named Mikey Forrester, with the intent to buy for a low price and later resell it to a higher one. After Renton covers for the remaining cost, they sell it to another dealer for 16,000 euros. When celebrating at a pub, Renton suggests the idea of leaving with the money to Spud and Sick Boy. Although Sick Boy does indicates he is willing to do so, Spud fearfully refuses. When seeing Begbie get into a bar fight, he sees how dangerous he is and how unpredictable Sick Boy is, he decides to leave Edinburgh for good to officially start his new life. The film ends with Spud collecting 4,000 euros Renton left behind for him in a safe deposit box, knowing that he would never hurt anybody.
THOUGHTS
This was a film I never thought I’d see, but now that I have, the first thing that came to my mind afterwards was the words of Al Pacino, “What a picture”. This one is going to forever stick with me because Director Danny Boyle and Writer John Hodge give a bold depiction of the consequences that come when people abandon responsibilities for dangerous drugs like heroin. In between whatever laughs you can find, it still remains gruesome with its imagery to remind viewers that there is no true joy with drug use. As you see how consuming it can be, you start to wonder what it means to break free from addiction. And in reality, the answer is very clear that it is satisfying to let go of what you used with the intent of numbness. When you look at the shoes of Ewan McGregor's Renton, you feel that sense of hopefulness that it's possible for anyone to overcome demons. He was a guy that did not know what to do with his life, hence his original decision to let his addiction take over his life. But time progressed and he saw that he is bigger than this. And after a terrifying withdrawal, he realized how bad he was hurting others, particularly his parents, more than himself. It was not easy to see him let go of his friends because a part of him did enjoy what they had. He does the right thing leaving them because he knew they would hold him back from being a better person he tends to be. His 'Choose Life' monologue is always powerful to hear because it symbolizes to live the life that doesn't kill you. And if the sequel showed anything, it is that his final decision was all worth it. Although McGregor is captivating within each scene, the supporting cast of colorful characters definitely shake things up. It's really hard to hate Spud because Ewen Bremmer makes him appear to be the most innocent of the bunch. Like Renton, he's not exactly a bad person, but his addiction makes him so dim witted that he puts himself in bad situations. He may not choose life completely, but you can't help admiring his desire to do so. Jonny Lee Miller definitely shake things up whenever he was onscreen as Sick Boy. At first, you relate to his intelligence, but quickly dislike him whenever he chooses to put himself over others. He only considered leaving with Renton because he was guaranteeing to have more money on his end if ditching Begbie. It was good that he gets excluded as well because he could've ripped him off if given the chance. Robert Carlyle easily makes clear that Begbie is the wild card of the group. I see him as the true villain of this story because of how sadistic and brutal he is towards everyone and lacks the idea of changing compared to everyone else around him. He was not a good friend to anyone because he acted desperately to impress whoever he identified as friends and declared himself superior due to not using drugs. Little does he understand that one addiction (alcoholism) does not mean you're better than others with worser addictions. The true satisfaction of the ending goes to Renton ditching him because he was the one holding him back the most. It's uplifting to see him do so because it clarifies that some friendships are not meant to be. The saddest character to behold in this film has to be Tommy. At first, Kevin McKidd portrays him as the biggest role model for not having any addiction and encouraging Renton to do better, only to let his heartbreak completely derail him. Discovering his death was so tragic because it eliminates the remaining innocence to make clear that the risk of driving life into the ground will always be there no matter how well off and healthy he or she will be. Since Renton chose life, you bet your ass he'd be proud of the decision he made. Last but not least, Kelly Macdonald caught me off guard in the role of Diane. She ends up being as compelling as the other characters because she can be just as conniving as them, yet still have a heart. Obviously, I don't condone the underage relationship she made with Renton, but she pursued him because she desired to have an adventure in her life. I even admire her choosing to give him advice because even she sees his potential, which only proves how smart she is. While this film is undoubtably incredible, it still doesn't excuse some issues I had with the story. Like for instance, I understand that Sick Boy is as much of a wild card as Begbie, but why the hell would be bring a paintball to a public park? It blows my mind that he didn't get caught considering how big it looked, nor did it look empty. I know the story needs a moment for Tommy to have a downfall, hence his breakup, but why would he hide his sex tape with his other videotapes? That is guaranteed of losing it, so it should've been in a safe to avoid from being stolen. Other than that, this movie is still worthwhile. In short, Trainspotting is an outstanding film for reminding audiences how precious life is and how shameful it'd be to waste it. You want a film that gives you a wake up call? This'll do it for you.
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