Trainspotting (1996)
Danny Boyle’s 1996 picture “Trainspotting” is undoubtedly a classic of filmography from the British Islands. Based on Irvine Welsh’s 1993 novel of the same name, it was the first successful attempt at answering the films like “Goodfellas” or “Pulp Fiction”; it has a similar spirit and power, also matching the pictures in hardcore violence, horror and drugs. But “Trainspotting” does something more than just shock the viewer with its gross scenes and violent sequences.
Set in the 1980’s in the stagnant, uninviting, colourless city of Edinburgh, Scotland, “Trainspotting” follows a pack of friends composed of heroin addicts, a psychopath that was addicted to violence instead, and some other colorful personalities that all come together, to do drugs and steal in order to fund their habit. Our protagonist Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), spends time with the “happy bunch” mostly to escape the “traditional way of living”, which he perceives to be meaningless and boring and mocks in the now iconic opening sequence. His gritty, sarcastic narration, similar to that of Tyler Durden from “Fight Club”, drives the action up to a point, when Mark realizes that his lifestyle, an escape from facing the truth of the meaninglessness of our existence is not only just as monotonous and pointless as the one he mocks, but also at the end, only fills one with dread of not having purpose in life. In a true existentialist fashion, Renton “rebels” against the lack of meaning in our existence, by cutting his habit and embracing his life fully.
Boyles use of different filming styles drives the film nicely, showing both the very grounded, grim reality of drug addicts, and the saturated, often surreal perception of reality from their point. McGregor’s great performance really shows the torn, riddled mind of Mark, struggling to find peace in the constant fight against his own addiction and societal expectations. And the one thing that really ties the whole experience together is the one of the best soundtracks of all time, with performances from legendary rock musicians like Iggy Pop or Brain Eno to some of the most recognizable British bands from the period that being Blur or Pulp.