Directed by: Danny Boyle
Written by: John Hodge
Based on a novel by Irvine Welsh
Mark Renton struggles with Edinburgh's drug scene and his own addiction to heroin. He tries to get out of it despite the allure of drugs and the influence of his friends.
I can't believe the last time I saw this movie it was in English class. I remember it well, because Trainspotting is definitely a movie you probably don't feel comfortable watching with people from school: a two friends and mostly people you haven't talked to since first grade. It's even weirder when it's actually your teacher who chose the movie. It raises a lot of question. Okay, yeah, we were all 17 or 18 by then, so it's not like it would be causing us a lot of trauma. I mean maybe it would, but we'd be mature enough to get over it
Also I think it's pretty clear why I'm watching this movie now. I saw the second one two weeks ago - for the first time - and one week ago for the second. I'm also planning a trip to Edinburgh this summer, mostly thanks to Irvine Welsh. I'm going to watch Trainspotting and Filth and Ecstasy during this week, or next.
Anyway, now, let's get to the actual review.
If I had to choose a favourite movie from the year I was born, it would definitely be Trainspotting.
The first novel I read by Welsh was Filth, and his writing style is absolutely fascinating. With Filth I was bored and then watched the movie and realised holy shit, I wasn't even at the important parts yet. So I returned to the book and while I had already seen the movie it still was able to blow my mind.
Welsh, whose last name will never stop being amusing to me, is a really brilliant writer. One of the best things about Trainspotting is its dialogue. I haven't read Trainspotting as much as I'd want to, but I have a vague idea how much of the dialogue comes from him. The dialogue has a weird charm. It sounds real, like what you and your mates could talk about, but also makes you feel like why can't your conversations go like that. But still it's not entirely like Tarantino's dialogue, which is realistic, but also sometimes there's no point. With Trainspotting there are typical, realistic conversations about... whatever, but also there's a lot of plot related dialogue with some really witty notions here and there.
What seems to be typical to Welsh's style is that he takes his time. It takes a while to understand what it's about, or it takes a weirdly long time to get to the things the summary at the back cover said about the story (The bedroom secrets of master chefs). It's kind of the same with Trainspotting as a movie. It's hard to say what it's about without being vague about it. "Oh it's about young men in Edinburgh struggling with drugs and such". Yeah but what happens? It's easier to just know the whole thing.
Trainspotting's way of portraying drugs is also interesting compared to many others. Either movies are trying to praise drugs or they are trying to make them seem like devil himself invented them. In Trainspotting they tell straight out what's good about drugs while some of them try to get off it. Like drugs are obviously bad, it's not like anyone's hiding it, but they're also very clear about why it's so hard to quit, and how even after quitting you can still relapse.
I love surrealism in Trainspotting. Sometimes it just feels like a special effect. Sometimes it feels like it's strongly related to what's going on, how the characters are feeling. It can distressing or it can be really hilarious.
The soundtrack of Trainspotting is iconic! There are so many brilliant songs that reflect the time and also suit the story well, instead of being just separate sounds in the background.
Trainspotting is a masterpiece. It's a true cult classic and I'll be forever bitter to that one friend of a friend who claimed that Fear and Loathing portrayed drugs better but eh, she turned out to be junkie few years later, so what can you say?
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
10 / 10
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