The film Trainspotting, based on a novel of the same name, brings up various topics for discussion: How do you define a meaningful life? How do you define a good life? How does colonization affect the colonized? How does drug usage affect the body and mind? Does it inhibit the ability to truly exercise free will? And how does heroin specifically affect the individual who uses it? These questions will be explored within this essay in the form of a film analysis through looking at specific quotes and scenes from the film, and relating them to real life.
Trainspotting is a novel written by the Scottish author Irvine Welsh; the novel takes place in the late 1980’s in Leith, Edinburgh and revolves around a group of friends who either use heroin or simply participate in risky behavior: Mark Renton (the main character), Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson, Daniel “Spud” Murphy, Francis “Franco” Begbie, Davie Mitchell, Tommy Lawrence, and Rab “Second Prize” McLaughlin. In the novel each chapter is narrated by a different character but the film, directed by Guy Ritchie, is only narrated by Mark Renton. Within the film, almost all of the characters suffer from depression because of how unhappy they are and for the majority of the characters it leads them to heroin. Their unhappiness stems from various sources but the main sources seem to stem from their heritage. They are proud of being Scottish but it brings them shame as well.
There’s one scene in the film where the group is standing in an open field admiring the natural beauty of Scotland when Tommy states, “doesn’t it make you proud to be Scottish?”, to which Mark replies, “It's shite being Scottish! We're the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some hate the English. I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are colonized by wankers. Can't even find a decent culture to be colonized by. We're ruled by effete arseholes. It's a shite state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and all the fresh air in the world won't make any fucking difference!”
From this quote, it’s obvious that within the group, there is a mixture of both pride and a deep dissatisfaction with their homeland and culture.
The happiest region in Scotland is Fife with a happiness score of +56.56, but the average happiness score for Scotland as a whole is +40.43; so they’re somewhat happier than they used to be but not by much. So, why are they so unhappy? Well, historically speaking, the Scottish have long been discontent with the fact of their colonization; from “William Wallace's ‘braveheart’ struggle against Edward I in the early fourteenth century to the Highland chieftain Rob Roy's quest for honor against the Duke of Montrose some three hundred years later, from Robertson's critiques to the verse of Jacobite poet laureate Robbie [End Page 215] Burns, from the maverick politicking of Tom Johnson early in the twentieth century to the contemporary work of Tom Nairn,” they have constantly battled England for independence but have never been successful (Wankerdom: Trainspotting As a Rejection of the Postcolonial?). Although colonization occurred centuries ago in 1707 through the Act of Union, many Scots today still feel the same dissatisfaction as their great great grandparents. In the film, Marks explains why he uses drugs:
“...Several years of addiction right in the middle of an epidemic, surrounded by the living dead. But not me. I'm negative. It's official. And once the pain goes away, that's when the real battle starts. Depression, boredom...You feel so...low, you want to...top yourself...When you're on junk you have only one worry: scoring. When you're off it you are suddenly obliged to worry about all sorts of other shite….You have to worry about bills, about food, about some football team that never...wins, about human relationships and all the things that really don't matter when you've got a sincere and truthful junk habit.”
This quote shows that he perceives heroin as a way to forget his troubles and make them seemingly disappear. Recently their standard of living has increased and that usually correlates to an increase in happiness but in their case it didn’t help much. Part of their dissatisfaction stems from the lack of respect they get from England and part comes from the lack of Scottish representation on UK television. Just like with minorities in America, although some may not think it’s important, representation matters.
People turn to various vices in order to cure their sorrow; in Trainspotting the majority of the characters turned to heroin. How do drugs affect the brain in general? Well it depends on what kind of drug it is, “amphetamine [and]cocaine, can cause the neurons to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals. Marijuana and heroin can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter [and therefore can]..’[fool]’ receptors [to allow] the drugs to attach onto and activate the neurons...lead[ing] to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network.” (Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction).
They work on a neurological level, producing more dopamine then the body would normally produce, which causes the individual using the drug to feel happier than usual or “high”. They often have perceived positive results for the user but in reality are detrimental to the user’s brain, body, and emotions. Heroin for example can be used in multiple ways: it can either be snorted, injected directly to the veins, or smoked.
In the film injecting the drug was their preferred method. They compared the feeling of getting high to being better than sex and better than an orgasm, complete and utter bliss. But when they come down from the high it’s a different story. In the film, when Mark was attempting to get clean, coming down from the high was described as a painful, nauseating experience: “I don't feel the sickness yet, but it's in the post. That's for sure. I'm in the junkie limbo at the moment. Too ill to sleep. Too tired to stay awake, but the sickness is on its way. Sweat, chills, nausea. Pain and craving. A need like nothing else I've ever known will soon take hold of me. It's on its way.” So the question is, is the feeling of the high really worth the sharp, intense emotional decline you feel after it recedes?
In conclusion, this quote from Mark clearly explains the thought process of an individual on heroin: “Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose...big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends...Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? 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?”. This quote exemplifies the core moral of the film; when a person is on heroin nothing that society deems as important matters to them. All they care about is deflecting their problems with their next hit.
Sources:
This article is a synopsis of the plot of the film
This article explains how drugs affect the brain
This article explains how heroin affects the body
This article discusses how colonization relates to the film and how it affects the characters
