There are certain films that, if you see them at the right age, will never leave you. They become a part of your life in the way that favorite albums or books do. You might find yourself quoting it every now and again, or thinking about how a shot or a song choice thrilled you or opened your eyes to something new about cinema. You might not see it for a while but, when you do, it’ll make you feel like you did when you first saw it.
For me, a perfect example of that type of film is Trainspotting (1996). Whenever I see it, I feel like I’m back on the couch in my first apartment. I’m 21 years old again, around the same age as the film’s characters, and I’m having my mind blown by its lively cinematic style, killer soundtrack, and indelible performances. It’s a mixture that will always make me bob my head along like I’m at a concert before wincing as its characters face yet another setback due to their addictions. It is a combination that also makes it the Peter Pan of 1990s films, because it never gets old.
Trainspotting is an adaptation of Scottish writer Irvine Welsh’s novel of the same name. It tells the story of Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), a twentysomething heroin addict living in Edinburgh, Scotland. He decides to get clean, but that decision will be tested by the actions of his friends. They include fellow addicts Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) and Spud (Ewen Bremner), as well as the drug-hating yet violent Francis Begbie (Robert Carlyle) and goodhearted non-drug user Tommy (Kevin McKidd). Renton goes on a series of adventures that find him frequently breaking the law as he wonders whether he can ever lead a normal life.
One of this film’s most memorable qualities is how its technical style creates a lot of youthful energy. This is apparent from the opening sequence. It begins with Renton and Spud running away from some cops. Iggy Pop’s song “Lust for Life” (co-written by and featuring backing vocals from David Bowie) blares, its infectious drum beat adding a propulsive rhythm to the scene. Director Danny Boyle and cinematographer Brian Tufano follow Renton and Spud as they rambunctiously run away from some cops with fast tracking shots that perfectly convey their fear and adrenaline. Boyle and editor Masahiro Hirakubo go on to create a sprightly narrative rhythm, introducing Renton’s friends with a series of quick cuts and freeze-frames as Pop’s vibrant song adds zest and a sense of desperation to everything they do. Its best setpieces keep up that fast pace as they convey both the thrill these characters get from doing drugs as well as showing how they’ve blighted their lives.
In addition to its exuberant visual style, this film is buoyed by a wonderful collection of songs. When it came out in the 1990s, it introduced a new generation to the work of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, since the latter’s song “Perfect Day” provides a perfectly ironic counterpoint to a bleak scene. It also featured music that was more contemporary to the time period from bands like Underworld and Bedrock. It’s a soundtrack that you can dance to and makes the film feel like a party that you won’t want to end.
While this film expertly uses cinematic techniques and great music to dazzle you, it would just be all flash and no pan if its characters weren’t interesting and three-dimensional. Renton is an excellent lead, and McGregor gives one of his most charismatic performances as him. Miller is hilarious (his monologues about Sean Connery are still funny) and emotionally affecting as Sick Boy. Carlyle is nothing less than iconic as the terrifying and magnetic Begbie, who gets a lot of the film’s best lines. It would be easy for the film to judge these characters harshly given their many reprehensible actions, but it makes you feel affection for them despite their many mistakes. They may not be people you’d want to hang out with in real life, but they’re fascinating to watch on screen.
Five years after I first saw it, Trainspotting continues to occupy a special place amongst my cinematic experiences. Its vivid use of cinematic techniques like lightning-fast camera movements and playful freeze-frames created youthful energy that I also possessed. Its collection of spectacular songs would contain some that would become several of my favorites, especially “Lust for Life.” The film’s characters would influence my writing, and I have tried to emulate how hilarious and interesting they were in my own screenplays. There will probably come a day when my relationship with this film will change. I may relate more to Renton’s parents, and their horror and disgust at their son’s lifestyle, than I do to him and his youthful quest to find his place in the world after a decade or two. But I also suspect that my relationship with this film will never change. I’ve got a feeling that I’ll always get the same rush and sense of exhilaration when I watch it, and that it will always send me back in time to that first moment when I realized I was seeing a film that I would never forget.
Trainspotting will be screened at IU Cinema on June 15 as part of our I Love the ’90s series.
Jesse Pasternack is a graduate of Indiana University. During his time at IU, Jesse was the co-president of the Indiana Student Cinema Guild. He also wrote about film, television, and pop culture for the Indiana Daily Student. Jesse has been a moderator at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival and is a friend of the Doug Loves Movies podcast. An aspiring professional writer-director, his own film work has appeared at Campus Movie Fest and the Anthology Film Archives in New York City.