The struggle for human dignity and change

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2014)

**Warning this review contains spoilers** This film is a dramatic story about a group of heroin addicts and their pursuit of drugs and money, but the focus of the story is about a man named Renton (Ewan McGregor). The overall theme is a struggle for human dignity and change. Renton is a pathetic heroin junkie who desperately wants to kick the drug but always fails at his attempts. Renton and his friends Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Bigby (Robert Carlyle), and Tommy (Kevin McKidd) find themselves in a dark place due to their misguided choices. Renton is down and out and realizes he's about to hit rock bottom after fishing suppositories out of a disgusting bar toilet. He and his friends decide to kick the habit, but it doesn't last long and they all soon end up going on a heroin binge. During the binge, Tommy is dumped by his girlfriend and shows his interest in starting to use drugs and a fellow drug addict and roommate of Renton and his friends finds that her infant child is dead. The shock of finding the dead baby due to the groups negligence is too much to bear and they fall deeper into their habit. Renton and Spud get caught stealing, spud is taken to jail for six months and Renton is ordered to drug detox. Renton's urge for one last hit pushes him to find his dealer for one final hit but he overdoses. Renton's parents take him from the hospital and lock him in his room where he is forced to clean up his act and shake the sickness of withdraw. Soon after Renton moves to London and starts a job but one by one all of his friends find him and drag him back into their crazy lives. Sick Boy sets up a drug lucrative drug deal but needs Renton to provide 2,000 dollars. The drug deal goes successfully but Renton realizes he has to get far away from his friends after he realizes he's outgrown them and wants nothing to do with them or drugs anymore. Renton flees town with the money but leaves 2,000 dollars in a locker for Spud.
The film is good, with some interesting imagery that aids in showing the depth of drug addiction and how it consumes an individuals life. For instance the scene in which Renton digs into the feces filled toilet in search for pills but end up sliding all the way in and swimming down to the bottom as if it were a lake to get the two small pills. The film also uses a lot of dark light to evoke depression. The film is much similar to Requiem for a Dream, which also highlights how addiction consumes the soul and the pursuit for better things in life.
"I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?" - Renton