trainspotting essay

In the 1996 British film 'Trainspotting', directed by Danny Boyle and adapted from Irvine Welsh' novel of the same name, the audience follows the daily lives of a small group of young Scots in Edinburgh.  They all have one thing in common - their shared loved for one of the world’s most dangerous drugs, heroin. Set in the 1980s, the narrative is given to the viewer through the main protagonist: Mark Renton. The imagery that director Danny Boyle uses to convey the sense of dread and hopelessness but also the pleasure surrounding Renton’s heroin abuse is amazingly realistic, through the use of mise en scene such as performance, props, lighting and more, the viewer may feel like they are almost part of the group.

In the 80's, Edinburgh was suffering from a downturn in the economy, most parts were impoverished, and unemployment was at an all-time high. The use of drugs among the youth in Trainspotting serve as a form of escapism from their mundane lives, not to mention the relentless gloom of Edinburgh. In contrast to the picturesque highland backdrop, the film uses the backdrop of the grey metropolis to reflect said poor conditions. The characters - in particular the young junkie group of friends - represent to me a dead-end vision of Scotland, from which Renton is trying so hard to escape.

The opening of the film begins with a close up of two white, Scottish male characters running down Princes street in Edinburgh. Already, the mise en scene, specifically props and costume, eg litter on the streets and ill-fitting, dishevelled clothing immediately sets a particularly unglamorous scene. It connotes to the viewer a less wealthy, more common town. A scene indicative of the Thatcherism era and an impoverished Scotland. Mise en scene is also used in terms of performance from the actors to add various effects to the scene: A tracking shot is used to move along with a sprinting Renton, creating a sense of urgency. It becomes apparent that Renton is sprinting away from a botched robbery, a sign of the times as Scotland is caught in the grips of high unemployment and a so-called "heroin epidemic". As Renton is dashing along, he gets hit by a car. He gets back up, and the viewer is given a mid shot of him looking into the car and laughing. His reaction to being hit connotes to the viewer a feeling of invincibility, possibly bought on by drugs. After this, we are introduced to the group through a long shot, and costume is now used to define the characters. In this particular scene, we see the supporting character Sick Boy in Camo, which may symbolise his desire to be unseen due to him being a petty thief. Along with this, (in the opening and throughout the film), Renton and the rest of his friends' various shabby outfits epitomise the pre 90's grunge style. The costume choices such as Renton's slashed, cropped and stained tees connote a sense of 'outcast' to the viewer and define the characters as maybe irresponsible, or poor due to the low employment levels, with all of their money being spent on heroin. Finally, the viewer gets a matched cut of Renton falling in two different locations. One shot is of him smoking, then falling, and the other is him being hit by a ball and doing the same. The fall could link the way the high he feels from smoking hits him suddenly in the same way he is hit by the ball.

'The worst toilet in Scotland' -  This scene exposes the distance between Renton's fantasy and reality. In this sequence, the viewer receives point of view close ups of multiple men looking into the camera, as if they are looking right at Renton. The long takes lingering on the men's faces creates a sense of discomfort, and highlights the viewer's (or Renton's) feeling of being watched. We then get a low angle long shot as Renton enters the bathroom. It shows the extremely unsanitary environment, depicted with toilet paper and excrement all over the floor and walls, broken urinals, rusting toilet stalls, sinks and more. We see Renton standing just in front of the doorway, denoting the fact that he is hesitant to enter, given his prior expectation of the toilet. This imagery, along with Renton's outfit creates a colour scheme of drab, unpleasant, earthy colours which further highlights a grotesque atmosphere. We then see Renton dive into a toilet after losing his "final hit" - a pair of opium suppositories. The appearance of the inside of the toilet completely contrasts the appearance of the bathroom, the water inside is a beautiful deep blue, and the non- diegetic music that compliments it conjures a serene, calm atmosphere. The contrast represents the temporary escape and the mind-altering effects of the drugs along with the way that the high provides relief from the monotony of the real Scottish world.