In 1996, visionary and visceral director, Danny Boyle, brought Irvine Welsh's saga of substance abuse to life, creating one of the most beloved cult classics of all time. Starring Ewan McGregor (Renton/Rent Boy), Ewen Bremner (Sick Boy), Jonny Lee Miller (Spud), and Robert Carlyle (Begbie), Bringing these four Scottish actors together perfectly combined their chemistry and talents to make them the infamous "Skagboys" that we all know and love. Even after 26 years, Trainspotting is still remarkably capable of pulling on the heartstrings to form a bittersweet nostalgia for viewers, in particular, Scottish viewers.
Trainspotting is careful to never glamorize the heroin epidemic or the dangers of the '90s acid-house scene, although it was, strangely, accused of doing so. The scene featuring the baby, Renton climbing into the most disgusting toilet in Scotland, the death of the young and promising athlete, Tommy (Kevin McKidd): none of these things scream "glamour," do they? However, as someone who has attended many clubs and pubs in the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas, there is a wave of bizarre pride and patriotism whenever the iconic synth motif of Underworld's "Born Slippy" is heard towards the end of the night. There is a need to hold on to those "better" or "simpler" times, to mythologize a time of rampant substance abuse, abject poverty, and illegal warehouse raves. Much like media that has followed it, such as Channel 4's Skins, Trainspotting and all its foibles have come to represent "the glory days of being young," even though its content is so far removed from such a notion. That's where its 2017 sequel, T2 Trainspotting, comes in.
T2 is, very deliberately, set 20 years after the conclusion of the first film. We see a mature, bearded Renton, sweating it out on the treadmill, still in Amsterdam - after stating that escaping there was his plan in the previous installment. Gone is the grainy, gritty camera of the mid-90s, a sleek, modern gym, and a very trendy, thudding soundtrack fill our ears. We're made very aware that this is, indeed, the 21st century. However, the viewer is quickly reminded that people don't really change, as we see Renton absolutely faceplant off the treadmill.
Throughout the film, there is a subtle but important marriage of how things change, and, yet, how they stay exactly the same. Renton still has enough of his former superiority complex to strive for something more in life, free of his recurring drug habit. Sick Boy, blonde and charismatic as ever, is still a perpetual schemer - aside from the fact the pub he owns has to be the saddest pub in existence... and has a crippling addiction to cocaine... Is that an improvement from heroin? The notorious, foul-mouthed, and equally foul-tempered Begbie is seen to have done his time and attempted to become a family man - as he now has a wife and son.
However, his toxic masculine rage - whilst providing many laughs - always manages to surpass anything else. Spud, the sweetheart that he is, remains gormless but well-intentioned. He, also, is the only one who seems to have left his past demons behind him by the climax of the film despite being the only one still addicted to heroin at the start of the movie. The iconic four all attempt to undergo changes and progress; they find that their nostalgia for the skag-addled times of the 1990s always draws them back in. Renton's 20-year clean streak all falls apart, when he shoots up heroin, once more, whilst a slow and muddled version of "Born Slippy" plays in the background: reminding us that what these characters yearn for are times that have, in fact, been full of life-ruining devastation.
Of course, we have some new locations, outside of Edinburgh's Leith, including good ol' Glasgow. The scene with Renton and Sick Boy's card scam results in one of the funniest moments of the film - "No More Catholics Left." This insight is just as troubling as it is hilarious, with sectarianism still being rife in Glasgow, it's a topical issue that is given that dark, humorous twist, which is a signature of Danny Boyle. Furthermore, as Renton and his Bulgarian love interest look down upon the stunning promenade of Princes Street, Edinburgh, we have an updated - but just as powerful - "Choose Life" rant. With references to social media, tourism, dilution of native culture, and the ever-climbing class divide, this rant really brings issues that Scotland still faces. The heroin epidemic may seem dead and gone, but generations of Thatcher's Britain, dying industries, and moving on from substance abuse and poverty are still prevalent today. However, many may seem to have forgotten, and possibly dismissed, the ramifications of these issues. Yet, Renton's speech brings them to light in a way that is just as witty and cynical as the speech that started it all.
By the end of the film, we are left with a bittersweet feeling. It is satisfying to see Spud channel his nostalgia for times gone by into something productive, having written the manuscript to the original Trainspotting. However, the final scene of our pivotal character, Renton, perfectly captures the dark side of yearning for times gone by. He is back to square one, still in his parent's house, his room untouched from adolescence, and we see him stretch and dance to the original film's iconic song, Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life". The scene flashes between then and now, the two interchangeable - except for the fact that Renton has clearly aged.
Overall, the tragedy of the film is the potential for change never realized. It reminds us that substance abuse and self-destruction are a never-ending journey, and can so easily become vicious ouroboros that we live by. T2 is a parable of how easy it is to fail, how habits of escapism are all too common, and that, deep down, some people never really change. It depicts aging men that feel they have peaked and can never truly adapt to the modern world that surrounds them. It will remain a cultural staple, as will the first film, with that nonchalant sense of humor, despite any depraved situation: it still spits in our faces and lets us know that: "It's sh*te bein' Scottish."