Trainspotting Revisited

I found myself re-watching Danny Boyle's 1996 film Trainspotting last night. I had first seen it about seven or eight years ago, and had not revisited it since. Upon my first viewing, my impressions were that although I liked the visual style, I didn't find it funny and felt very conflicted by the way it presented heroin use. My initial impression was that it made heroin use seem not only cool, but that it presented kicking the habit as not such a big deal. Well, now I'm older and (presumably) wiser, and my feelings about the film have changed. First of all, the cinematography. It is shot SO WELL, as evidenced by several choice screen captures I present here. There are some really unique camera angles and points of view-perhaps best evidenced by the scene in which Mark overdoses. Second of all, the film is indeed very funny. Let me clarify--the heroin use itself is not funny, not at all, but the dialogue is razor-sharp. The juxtaposition of these characters shooting up in a decrepit shooting gallery while engaging in a high-brow discussion of the merits of various James Bond actors and films is indeed, very funny. There's a dissonence that occurs between what the characters are saying--how they engage with one another--, and what their are doing, i.e. perhaps the single most self-destructive pastime. Furthermore, I realize now just how ballsy the premise and style of the film is in the first place: a comedy....about heroin addicts....created in the midst of the AIDS epidemic!?!?! What's even more surprising is that it works. And like so much comedy (and black comedy especially) I think the tone of the film acts as relief to the utter bleakness and despondency of addiction. The humor makes the film palpable. Without it, the narrative of addicts in mid-90's Edinburgh could be any other cliché moralizing piece. The lack of moralizing whatsoever is one thing which makes this film so refreshing (I know, the irony is not lost on me that I'm referring to a 17-year old film as 'refreshing', but it is a testament to how well the picture has held up over time). Nevertheless, are the film's ethics shaky? Absolutely. Although I can now wholeheartedly call it a great film (and increase my Netflix rating from two to five stars), I am nevertheless still somewhat uneasy about the tone of the work with regards to heroin and addiction. I slightly worry what impressionable minds would think when seeing this film. Yes, it does present the horrors of addiction (most notably in the dead baby and Tommy's death), however, it does so with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I want to believe that audiences will be able to recognize the cynical tone of the film, and realize that it's not advocating drug use, just as I hope audiences would register the cynicism in Natural Born Killers. But I know that unfortunately, that isn't the case. The problem arises because the characters are very funny. Some might say hip. Yet, they're also addicts. I think it's challenging for the viewer to mitigate between these different aspects of the characters. Despite the complicated attitude towards addiction, Trainspotting is a great film. It's hard to believe it's 17 years old, because it is still relevant and fresh to this day. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it If you have seen it, I recommend a re-viewing!