Review of Trainspotting (1996) by Trisolaran — 19 Feb 2022

A masterclass in character study, Trainspotting depicts the lives of heroin addicts as they struggle to distract themselves until they can get their next 'hit' with sex, mayhem, and other substances. All the characters come alive with superbly crafted dialogues and performances from the entire cast, and coupled with a frantically-paced style of direction from Danny Boyle that combines apt pop music inserts with innovative dream sequences, the viewer is presented with a piercing look inside the mind of a junkie.

There were some sentiments surrounding the movie about how it glamorises drug use, but if one were to look just a little deeper it's easy to see that's not the case at all. The film pulls no punches when it comes to depicting tragic events and sickening actions from various characters due to their drug use. For that I believe this is actually the perfect anti-drug film: beneath all the humour and catchy songs, what the viewer gets is an honest and convincing depiction of what drugs do to someone, nothing more and nothing less.

Overall, an unforgettable dark comedy that expertly balances the ‘dark’ and the ‘comedy’ that will have you reeling from laughter to disgust from one scene to the next. A must-watch.