Trainspotting as a Success

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Trainspotting as a Success

Trainspotting is a drama/fantasy film directed by Danny Boyle. Famous

actors included Ewan McGregor, who plays Renton, a Scottish junkie who

wastes his life by having his life evolve around drugs until he gets

sent to court and then hospital; he then decides to clean up his act

and clean up.

The film starts off with Renton (McGregor) running through the street

with friends, he explains his life and friends. We get the impression

from him he thinks drugs are good and he doesn’t care about anything

else apart from having a good time.

Teenager and young males who are middle-lower class are most likely to

watch this film as some people may be able to relate to this film

especially drug users who are now clean. Trainspotting attracts a

niche audience rather than a mass audience because people may not want

to watch a film which involves awful material such as drugs, sex and

abuse as this may offend people. It is more aimed at audiences who are

able to select and reject the information given; active audiences.

The typical generic conventions of the place where Renton is staying

is a council house which is messy, walls falling apart, mould,

mattresses of floor, tatty clothes and old television and sofa. This

tells us that he is lower class and a typical drug user. We also get

the impression like they are squatters from the state of the house and

all the people living in there.

The narrative in the film is non linear and has a montage sequence, by

doing this it keeps us interested because it isn’t straight forward

like most films. We are also put in different situations such as when

Renton takes drugs but then we are put in the situation when Renton is

off drugs so by being put in different situations we are kept

interested and involved in the film.

The film is very art house as it has many scenes which are unreal but

we know that it is and are able to accept this.

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