Underplayed Gems

Trainspotting (1996)

Trainspotting poster
Directed by
Danny Boyle
Genre
drama film, independent film, buddy film, crime film, magic realist film
Country
United Kingdom
Runtime
1h 34m
Rated
R
Rating
8.0 of 10 from 10,467 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A group of heroin addicts living in a poor area of Edinburgh try to get by, make choices about their lives, and face the consequences of their addiction. The film shows their struggles with drugs, poverty, and the harsh realities of their surroundings.

rawgrittydarkly comicenergeticunsettlingbleakvisceralirreverentchaotic

What happens

Trainspotting is a 1996 British black comedy drama film directed by Danny Boyle, and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle and Kelly Macdonald in her film debut. It is written in English and Scots. Based on the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh and inspired by the stage production of the same name, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 23 February 1996. The film follows a group of heroin addicts in an economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life. Beyond drug addiction, other themes in the film include an exploration of urban poverty and squalor in Edinburgh. Trainspotting was released to critical acclaim, and is regarded by many critics as one of the best films of the 1990s. The film was ranked tenth by the British Film Institute (BFI) in its list of Top 100 British films of the 20th century. In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time in a general public poll. A 2017 poll, which consisted of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine, ranked it the tenth best British film ever. A sequel, T2 Trainspotting, was released in January 2017 and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing through its TriStar Pictures label. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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