A magnificent piece of cinema

Rating: 9/10 (27 January 2007)

Trainspotting was very well received in Australia. And with good reason.
The film was very original and insightful, with good comical overtones and magnificent performances. But what won me over in this film more than any other was the fact that it was made by europeans.
European film-makers generally make slow paced films that work on the characters - their eccentricities, their behaviour, their emotional contrasts and develop their "being". The insightful and often candid portrayal of the characters allows the story to delve into the deepest pockets of human emotion, making it moving and intriguing, irrespective of whether you identify with the characters.
I always can pick a grand film such as this by the fact that the plot can be explained in one line, but the film is what it is because of the work put into developing and opening up the characters to the camera.
For instance, Trainspotting is basically about a long term battling heroin addict who finally breaks free of his addiction and friends and starts over. Similarly, another European film like Paris, Texas is simply about a guy who wonders out of the desert one day and reconciles with the life he left behind.
The plot and story isn't the focus of these sorts of films. The characters are and it provides a richness and intrigue that is often lacking in over-acted and overdone films such as American Beauty (which had a convoluted and absurd story line).
Anyway - back to trainspotting. This film is really a metaphor for moving on with life and abandoning a lifestyle and relationships/friendships that seem to hold us back or otherwise keep us moving in a circle. In many respects, heroin plays a less important role than most people think. It's simply a representation of a vice (or vices) that young generations now have to overcome before moving onto the next stage of their life. However, it could be substituted for just about any hurdle we eventually have to face (usually in our 20s).
The title of the film, Trainspotting, is an activity that some old lonely men engage in. They go to train stations and simply note down which trains are arriving/departing and at what times. This is a repetitve and ultimately pointless exercise that keeps them occupied as time passes on. Very fitting title, wouldn't you agree?