[Blind Spot 2019] May – Trainspotting

My very delayed May viewing in the Blind Spot challenge was “Trainspotting”. It’s been on my radar for a long time, but I was somehow put off by the idea of seeing a movie about junkies. I’m kind of sad I did it now, because I really enjoyed it. 

Trainspotting is a 1996 movie directed by Danny Boyle, with a script by John Hodge, based on a novel by Irvine Welsh. As Wikipedia perfectly says, it’s about “Heroin addict Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) who stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends — Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Begbie (Robert Carlyle), Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Tommy (Kevin McKidd).” 

“Trainspotting” is definitely a daring movie, as it showcases, not only drug use and violence, but also child neglect, underage sex and….a lot of poop. Gross. Interestingly enough, it handled the whole drug abuse in a very….natural way? It sounds weird, let me explain. I felt like it wasn’t overly stylized, but also not overly dramatized. It seemed somehow detached and it offered what felt like an outside view, so I think that helped me process it better. 

The characters were definitely a strong point. Ewan McGregor did a fantastic job portraying all stages of addiction, from full-blown drug sessions to going cold turkey and recovery. (He was also really hot in the mid 90s.) I also really enjoyed Ewen Bremner and Kevin McKidd’s performances, as they both showed a softer, more naive side of drugs and thug life. I was expecting a tad more from Jonny Lee Miller, but he was also great. And let’s not forget Kelly Macdonald, now 43, who began her career as Diane in this film. 

Overall, “Trainspotting” is a cool, sometimes gross movie that people should see. Definitely a cult film!

p.s. In case you’ve missed it, here’s the complete list of movies I’m planning to see for this year’s Blind Spot challenge!