Trainspotting: Undiluted Brilliance

It's not a new film by any means, but its brilliance is worth a mention. If you haven't seen 'Trainspotting', do so. You need a strong stomach and a great sense of humour in equal measure.



The music alone is irresistable. Iggy Pop and Lou Reed are perfect for the film. There is honesty here, although the anti-drug message is a bit over the top, especially the nightmare scene where a mother purportedly is unaware of the death of her infant in his crib for days because she is high on smack. I don't think so! Despite all that, it's a brilliant film.



Sick Boy's 'Unifying Theory of Life':

'...a blip on an otherwise uninterrupted downward trajectory.'
'So we all get old. We canna hack it any more and that's it.'
'Yeah.'
'That's your theory.'
'Yeah.'

And the confession of the 'hero':
'The downside of coming off junk was that I knew I'd have to mix with my friends again in a state of full consciousness. It was awful. They reminded me so much of myself I could hardly bear to look at them.'

And at the very end:



'Now I've justified this to myself in all sorts of ways. It wasn't a big deal, just a minor betrayal. Or... we'd outgrown each other. You know, that sort of thing.

'But let's face it. I ripped them off. My so-called mates. But Begbie. I couldn't give a shit about him. And Sick Boy. He'd have done the same to me, if he'd only thought of it first. And Spud. Well, okay, I felt sorry for Spud. He never hurt anybody.'

'So why did I do it? I could offer a million answers, all false. The truth is that I'm a bad person, but that's going to change, I'm going to change:

'This is the last of this sort of thing.
I'm cleaning up and I'm moving on, going straight and choosing life.
I'm looking forward to it already.
I'm going to be just like you: the job, the family, the fucking big television, the washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electrical tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisurewear, luggage, three-piece suite, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing the gutters, getting by, looking ahead to the day you die.'