Movie Review: Trainspotting

During our cinema class, we are able to get to see the movie “Trainspotting” starring Ewan McGregor as a drug dealer with his other friends. It is a black comedy/drama film that deals with substance abuse. In some western countries, using drugs for their personal satisfaction is just normal but in fact, they don’t consider what the result might be. According to the articles I have read about substance abuse, once you get addicted to it, it’s hard to stop. You won’t be able to control yourself anymore because the drug is already attached to your system. In this movie,  Mark Renton along with his friends Spud and Sick boy are addicted to heroin. Heroin is a highly addictive drug derived from morphine, which is obtained from the opium poppy. It is a “downer” or depressant that affects the brain's pleasure. They used heroin to satisfy their needs and to heal their emotional wounds. 
      
The movie had lots of great shots. We have discussed the different camera shots in this class and some of the examples are from this movie. I am so impressed on how they handled the different camera angles to emphasize each scene and for the viewers to appreciate the movie more. It’s very realistic, you can tell already what they are up to just with the dialogue and the way they speak. The facial expressions and how the actors portray their roles are superb. The close up shots that are seen in the movie, they emphasized the feeling of a person that is under influenced of substance abuse. The treatment of the whole film is quite ridiculous but the sound effects during the scenes made it so real like you’re really watching a bunch of kids wasting their life injecting heroin to their system. The close up shots are job well done because as an audience, I was able to tell the feelings of each character. I am so impressed with the whole film’s cinematography.  The way they focus each characters and the tracking shots are truly an art.

Watching Trainspotting is like a wakeup call to everyone who are using drugs and for those who wants to use heroin. In this movie, they will be able to witness what terrible things might happen to them when they use drugs. The character Mark Renton was able to escape from the horrible world of using drugs because he realized that there are more important things that he should be doing, he was able to overcome his addiction because he really wanted to change his self for the sake of his health and of course his family. He probably realized that he doesn’t want to die the same way his friends did. His other friend Tommy died because of the complications in his body due to substance abuse. It serves as a wakeup call for him to be a better person.  This movie might not be widely accepted because of the superb amount of violence and sexual scenes but it is inspiring for those people who want to change for the better and escape from the world of drug addiction.

I find the ending of Trainspotting very interesting and at the same time very crucial. When Mark Renton met up again with his friends because of Tommy’s passing, they started hanging out together again. They started drinking just like before Mark stopped doing drugs. That time Sick Boy suggested a heroin transaction but needs Mark to supply the initial £4,000. After they purchased the heroin, Renton injects himself with a sample to test its purity. The four were able to sell the heroin for £16,000. Early in the morning, Mark took all the money from Begbie’s arms and left the room where they were all sleeping. Spud saw him leave but he didn’t say anything at all. While Mark was walking away with the money, he vows that he will live a stable and traditional life just like the ordinary people then the next scene was Spud finding the £2,000 Renton has left for him.

It was a very nice touch of the ending, it makes people realize that if you want to change for the better you are very free to do it as long as you have the will and determination to escape from your dark side. Everyone has a second chance, even third, fourth, fifth and so on. You just have to believe and trust yourself that you can surpass and overcome everything as long as you’re aware that you are in the right path.