Trainspotting

CHOOSE LIFE. CHOOSE A JOB. CHOOSE A CAREER. CHOOSE A FAMILY.

Trainspotting (1996) is a film created by English director and film producer Danny Boyle. It is a film adaptation of the novel of the same title written by Irvine Welsh. The film is set in Edinburgh during the late 1980s and revolves around the protagonist Mark Renton and his friends. There is not an explicit plot or sequence of events to follow, with the film portraying seemingly random and absurd moments from the lives of Mark and his friends while addicted to heroin. Mark attempts to quit the drug multiple times, however continues to relapse until the film's ending, where he commits a betrayal against his friends and runs away from his hometown, vowing to finally clean up and move on.

The movie begins with Mark’s monologue where he tells the audience to “choose life”, a phrase revealed in the movie’s sequel to be taken from a Scottish anti-drug campaign during the mid-1980s (“choose life, not drugs”). As Mark lists off the mundane actions he associates with choosing life, such as buying a washing machine or getting a job, the audience is made to question their own life. They’re simple words, but Mark’s delivery has a mocking, almost bitter, tone that evokes a sense of existentialism. He ends the piece by confessing that he has chosen not to choose life, giving no reasons as to why because “Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?”. The significance of Iggy Pop's Lust for Life’ playing in the background is that the title itself in relation to the monologue is questioning the audience how a life is determined to be one that is fulfilling and suggests how drugs have altered the lives of Mark and his friends, preventing them from achieving such a life. This monologue also directly contrasts Mark’s ending speech, where he pledges that he is going straight and choosing life. He tells the audience that he is going to be just like them, taking part in the same mundane aspects of life as them. And as the familiar Born Slippy plays in the background while Mark moves closer to the camera, the audience is left to think about the privilege it is to be able to choose life, along with the open-ended question of what a fulfilling life really means to them.

There are many parts of this film that make it one of my favourites, with the characters being a major factor. The characters are so memorable and act as the framework for the entire world inside the film that keeps me coming back to watch it over and over again. All of the characters are extremely flawed, but they each have their own distinct charm. While the main goal of the film is to capture Mark’s journey to sobriety, the film’s lack of plot can make the events of the movie feel like some sort of fever dream, however this is what makes the movie so entertaining. The beautiful cinematography and camerawork, as well as the incredible soundtrack pair together to create a movie that is very appealing despite the sometimes disgusting parts of the film (worst toilet in Scotland). What I love is that while Mark eventually does become clean, the film does not aim to preach an anti-drug message to its audience. It obviously portrays the detrimental effects that heroin has had on the lives of Mark and his friends, particularly demonstrating his friend Tommy’s downfall from being clean, to eventually dying due to the effects of an addiction. However, the film still emphasises how good the drug feels. After all, why would they keep doing it? This caused some controversy after its release, as some critics felt it encouraged or glamourised the use of the drug. I would have to disagree with this sentiment, as I believe it adds to the realism of the film and emphasises that the story is from Mark’s perspective, not an omniscient, moral watchdog narrator.

Now regarding the film’s title, there are few to no trains spotted in this movie. I think that the original novel may provide more context on its meaning, but I haven’t read it yet. I did read a review of the film on Letterboxd, however, that suggested that the act of train spotting was a metaphor for the characters being forced to watch their lives pass by without being an active participant in them, in the same way you would watch a train pass without getting on it. I agree with this view on the title and I believe this ties perfectly with the “choose life” quip associated with the film, as Mark is in the pursuit of being in control, being this willing participant in his own life, rather than having his life determined by heroin and the thought of getting his next score. The pivotal scene that represents this taking back of control is Mark’s ultimate betrayal, where he steals the money him and his friends made on a drug deal before running away. He disconnects himself from his friends and his hometown for the sake of his own life. Over his friends, over his family, over heroin, over the everything he once knew, he chose life.