Choose Life!
Art°08 The Illusion of Control
by Emil Voss · · 5 min read
Last month saw Danny Boyle’s cult-classic film Trainspotting make a long-awaited 4K return to the big screen. A story of 5 friends living through the heroin epidemic in Scotland certainly does not fail to shock its viewers with gruesome depictions of addiction and habitual violence. And yet, even 30 years after its original release, it would be hard to argue that Trainspotting is not an extremely relatable film. In this article, we dive into what exactly it is that renders Boyle’s masterpiece such a timeless classic.
“Sorry man, I’m not gonna make it tonight :(“ – read a new text from my friend. I was supposed to meet him for a beer after work but he had been caught in a storm on his way to meet me, and had to promptly return home to dispose of his soaked clothing. I guess it was another one of those evenings in Amsterdam, when even Buienradar could not be trusted. I am, however, not one to get discouraged easily. With my friends’ cancellation creating a massive vacuum in my previously promising evening and a strangely enjoyable summer drizzle settling on the tips of my hair I embarked on a meditative solo walk along the famous canals of Amsterdam.
What happened next should have perhaps appeared more obvious to me at the time. It was that wicked storm, which had previously done its best to disrupt my evening by assaulting my friend, reappearing with a clear intention to finish the job. Within seconds I realised that, unless I wanted to share my friend’s fate, I ought to promptly look for shelter. Suddenly, I noticed something across the canal I was walking along. It was one of those cinemas which, slightly archaically, still displays their movies in dark plastic letters on a massive white readerboard above the entrance. These letters, piercing through the rain, read loudly and clearly - Trainspotting. “Fantastic!” – I thought to myself. I had wanted to see Danny Boyle’s much aestheticised 1996 masterpiece for a while now, enticed by its popularity among those Instagram archive accounts. With the storm not backing off, I excitedly skipped to the nearest bridge and right into that cinema, praying that they would still have a free seat available to pick up with my Cineville. “Sorry, any free seats for Trainspotting?” – I uttered to a girl standing behind the ticket desk. “No need to be sorry” – she smirked jokingly as if to hold me in suspense for just a while longer – “Of course we do”.
Read the rest with a free account.
Three pieces of every issue are open to everyone. Sign up to read the whole Brief, and the archive.
