Review of Trainspotting (1996) by Michael M — 26 Aug 2011

If I ever saw a film that could quite literally have a major impact in my life, it would have to be this wonderful and truly mesmerizing film, showcasing the roller coaster life of a group of drug addicts. .

The performances from each actor/actress explodes off the screen with gritty realism and continues with exceptional consistency throughout the film. The balance of humor and sharp edged drama is perfectly enacted through it's main players, dramatizing the true high and low nature of drug addiction. Not a single performance in the film is off or half hearted, with everyone at their best until the final rolling credits.

The film itself is a visual treat, putting you on the characters level through visual poetry. Swimming in a toilet becomes an aquatic and hypnotizing experience and a detox session turns into an uproarious and nightmare inducing piece of cinematic eye candy. The film takes hair pin turns at break neck speed, ranging from gifted humor to unimaginably gripping terror, pulling your comfort zone from beneath your feet without a single grain of mercy towards your own sanity.

What really gives the film it's kick, is the likeable characters that struggle to find a purpose in their lives through attempting to clean themselves up. You cheer for every proper action and feel disdain when somebody falls into a slump. These are real people going through something real and it's what brings the film to a proper close.

All in all, it's a disturbing and utterly beautiful look into the lives of people lost in their own personal hell, but it's the most fun you can have looking at something you yourself would never want to go through.