Trainspotting Analysis

The worst toilet in Scotland

The scene is introduced with a quick fade in, followed by a long shot taken at a low angle, which shows a large proportion of the main restroom and how disgusting and grotty it is, as it is covered head to toe with dirt, filth, urine and faeces. By having low key lighting, and fill lighting, it creates a darkened more gloomy effect to the restroom making it look even more disgusting than it already may be. By having this scene shown very early on in the film, it immediately gives the audience and I an insight into the aesthetics of the entire movie, and the over-exaggerated filth of the toilet also creates a sense of hyperrealism. Mark, the main character, is framed between a sink and some urinals, using the rule of thirds so that my attention is mainly on him. The mise-en-scene of the broken sinks, dirty unwashed urinals and mucky floor all adds to the effect of this being the “worst toilet in Scotland”, adding to this effect of hyperrealism. The only sound heard so far in the scene is the sound of leaking dripping from the ceiling, and other diegetic sewage sound effects. Another part of the mise-en-scene to consider would be the hair and costume shown on Mark. Mark has a buzz cut hair style, also known as a skinhead. He also wears quite scruffy and old looking clothes; this stereotypical look immediately tells the audience that he would be considered underclass. This shot cuts to a bird’s eye view of the of the toilet, quickly followed by a cut to a low angle medium close up of Mark, giving a comedic reaction shot. As Mark proceeds to sit down on the toilet, the camera is held at a neutral shot at a medium angle; as well as this, Mark is framed very compactly inside the cubicle, again making him centre of attention. The mise-en-scene of the grimy walls and litter on the floor adds to the disgusting aesthetic that the film creates and continues throughout. The only sound heard is the diegetic sound of Mark excreting in a very over dramatic and over the top way, which adds to the comedic side of the film. As he does so, it cuts to a close up of Mark’s face as he is wide eyed and full of horror as he realises that he had lost the drugs in the toilet. After this realisation, it cuts to a medium close up of Mark rummaging around inside the toilet, pulling faces of disgust and revolt, gagging and spitting. As he looks for the drugs, there is a slight matching on action edit used as the camera cuts to various different angles of him searching inside of the toilet bowl. The camera returns to the medium shot that is taken side on, as Mark leans into the toilet and begins to plunge his whole body down the toilet. This could be a metaphor for two things; this could show how the effects of drugs, on young people especially, drive them to addiction and having a sense of need and dependency upon them. As Mark dives into the toilet after the drugs, it could physically show his life going “down the toilet”, and how his life is going downhill due to his drug addiction. However, this could also be the film physically taking its first plunge into hyperrealism, which would be classed as something out of the ordinary for social realism film. As all of this happens, we hear the diegetic sound of water sloshing around, but the first part of non diegetic sound is introduced as a classical stereotypical song used when a character is in triumph.

The scene cuts to a low angle long shot where we see Mark swimming around under water, as he searches for his depositories. Here, there is backlighting used to create the light coming from the top of the toilet bowl, to create a sense of realism within this hyper realistic scene. The colour of the water is a blue colour, which makes everything look very serene, which is also emphasised by the non diegetic, soft, calming music. This angle may have been used to show how serene and calm the situation is, and perhaps reflect Mark’s feelings and emotions as he knows he is close to finding his drugs. It cuts to a tracking shot of Mark swimming downwards towards the pills, where he bypases a stereotypical underwater bomb, which he looks at but stays clear of. This could represent the danger of drugs and how at any moment, his drug usage could become too overwhelming and perhaps destroy his life - it could go off at any moment, just like a bomb. However, it could also represent the dangers that drugs can have, and could even be seen as a warning to not take the pills - however, he decides to look at and ignore this warning sign, continuing to swim down to collect the pills from the bottom of the ocean floor. As he retrieves the drugs, they appear to glow, as they are surrounded by rocks. This gain could be a metaphor for Mark hitting rock bottom within his drug use, as he feels dependant on them, and relies on them to help him come out of his addiction. The connotations around the glowing drugs could perhaps show how Mark see’s them as something holy, or he feels like his life is lead by the light, which in this case, would be drugs.

The Recovery

Later on in the film, Mark is recovering from an overdose, where he is kept at his parents house in his old bedroom. Here, we are first introduced to a long shot at a neutral angle where we see Mark tucked in bed which is located between a chair and a chest of drawers, conforming to the rule of thirds, making Mark the centre of attention. There is both the diegetic sound of Mark kicking around in the duvet and grunting and squirming from the pain of withdrawal and cramps, as well as the non diegetic sound of upbeat music playing and a voice over of Mark as he tells the audience the symptoms of drug withdrawal and the pain that comes along with it. This voice over is a type of exposition. The camera zooms in to a close up of Mark’s face as he look distressed, and then cuts to a long shot of the bedroom from behind Mark’s head, keeping him in frame. Here, there is a zolly used, keeping the focus upon Mark’s body and head, whilst the rest of the room distorts and warps around the subject of focus. As this zolly is used, the beat of the non diegetic music kicks in, creating a sense of suspension and action as we see Mark battling against his symptoms and illness. Here, as well, we see the mise en scene of the room. The room is quite bare and simple, with a green wardrobe at the end of the wall, his bed, a chair, and his chest of drawers - but most importantly, we are exposed to the wallpaper that is covered in trains. This is an overall metaphor for the film, and the title Trainspotting, and links in well with Mark’s recovery. Trainspotting is an activity in which a person will stay at a station and watch trains all day, logging their numbers - an addictive activity. However, Trainspotting is also another word for when a heroin user injects heroin into a vein, and it leaves a dark linear line on the side of the affected vein, also known as “tracks”. Both of these descriptions can link to the film, as heroin is an addictive activity or substance that leaves tracks upon your veins. The shot cuts from the zolly to a longer take of a close up of Mark’s face, as we see the sweat forming on his forehead and the exhausted but highly awake expression on his face. The lighting used here is quite dark and leaves shadows on his face, which could perhaps suggest that there is a metaphorical dark cloud above him, and that this recovery will not be easy. The use of the actor's sudden jerks and movements ties in with the jumpy upbeat music, which makes the scene feel much more alive and exciting. The beat of the non diegetic music dies down and the sound of Dianne singing a soft yet choppy song; the shot cuts to show her sat on the end of his bed in her school uniform singing, which then cuts back to Mark, pushing his head into the pillow as the sound of Dianne’s voice dies down too. Although it is only slight, Dianne is shown in a little more light than the rest of the room, including Mark, within this scene - this could show that even in his hallucinations, Mark can see that Dianne had been the brightest part of his life during his drug addiction, even if their experience together was only brief.