Trainspotting Question - 80s

In what ways can the characters, narratives, and mise-en-scene  of Trainspotting be described as a product of the political ideologies of the time ?

The political ideologies of the 80s are a central focus to the narrative of Trainspotting. It influences the main aspects of life that intertwine with the storyline of each character, impacting them in different ways. The general influence of the 80s is seen throughout, since the film is a bridge between the 80s and the 90s, aspects never really leave. This is shown in the club scene in Leith, where each character escapes the reality of life through drink, drugs and sex. This can be seen through the use of audio, such as ‘Temptation’ by New Order and the costume design. This is mainly seen in Leith, contrasting to the change (and perhaps advancement) to the future in London. 

However the political ideologies were critical to the 80s era, the significances due to the changes made by the Prime Minister of the time, Margret Thatcher. One which diverts the storyline, evoking a change in the mentality of a character and an advancement to a 'better life' is Renton's move to London. This is supposed to represent the 'normal life', clearly mocking the impact of Thatcher's changes. The scene begins with a powerful dance music of 'Think About The Way' by Ice MC with tourist inspired quickly edited shots of London, creating an artificial feel to the setting. Once this montage has finished, it cuts to a wide shot zooming in on an estate agent on the phone with a map behind as a wallpaper, immediately showing the blunt position of Renton. It is a clear contrast to see Renton in, what would be a clearly critical job of the time, a normal job due to the escapism of his drug addiction to heroin (linking to his opening monologue). The professionalism which Renton possesses when showing a couple around a council house seems out of character for him, creating a false sense of security. This scene reflects the Housing Act of 1980 which enabled Council Houses tenants to buy their own homes, by the Right to Buy. This is why the job of an estate agent is so important to the period of the 80s.

This lack of unemployment is also seen with Spud's interview in which he has previously taken Speed, resulting in a humourous attempt. Beforehand it is shown that Renton is prepping Spud for his job interview, offering him Speed to calm his nerves. As a joke he says 'or worse, you may even get the job!', however this rings true since the reflection of unemployment strains each of the characters. Trainspotting creates the idea of unemployment as a subplot, therefore making the audience unaware that the characters are unemployed. The seperation between Spud and the interview is created through the physical proximity between the characters, Spud being on one end of the room from the interviews and being in separate close up shots to them. The grey interior of the room contrasts to that of the posters, showing the dull reality through humour. Due to his use of Speed, it disregards the idea of the lack of unemployment with young people in the 80s, especially since the film is focused on drug abuse. There are only two characters which we see in the film with jobs; Renton's estate agency which is sort lived due to his past and Sick Boy's mentioning of doing dodgy deals.

Another significant use of the political ideology was the clear message of the impact of HIV/AIDS. The narrative of Tommy is one where he falls from grace, first shown to be a clean, physically active man to his downfall due to the influence caused by Renton. From one use of a needle to take heroin, not only did Tommy get addicted but also caught AIDS. This is extremely significant, due to the mass epidemic in the 80s. The treatment and awareness of HIV/AIDS was neglected by the political leaders. This is since the people who were often affected were homosexual or drug addicts, which Margret Thatcher was strongly against (shown by Section 28 of the Local Government Act of 1988). This rejection of it is shown through the mise-en-scene of Tommy's apartment, significantly in his death scene. The lighting shows Tommy's apartment to be grey, with symbols of what he once loved, his Iggy Pop poster and football, to be tattered. Through the pan out of his room, the legs of Tommy are shown to show his end in a tragic way. Rather than seeing his end his a chronological narration through his point of view, by an unaware Renton being told of his end creates a distant feel - reflecting the main atmosphere towards the subject within the 80s.