Withdrawal and Overdose scene analysis

 Alignment

Film form

rentons state of mind

ideology

Both scenes use surreal imagery and various camera angles, along with mise-en-scene and performance to align us with Renton's state of mind and struggle.

The withdrawal scene is used to showcase the struggle that not only Renton is going through, but addicts overall. This makes the audience have a better understanding of their situation and allows them to have sympathy for them because we are already aligned with Renton and understands his ideology. Firstly, the scene starts with Renton's parents taking him into his bedroom. This is a familiar setting that anyone would recognise, furthermore normalising drug addicts to the general public, but also creates a contrast with Renton's apartment. For example, Renton's room is small, cramped and doesn't have alot of light in it: there's alot of brown in the room and if there is colour its dark shades of green and white. The brown can be symbolic of security, more specifically the security that Renton is feeling back at home and how home makes you feel safe. It could also be symbolic of stability, maybe the stability that Renton is wants in his life, the stability that has been removed by the chaos and volatility of heroin. There is also clear contrast with Renton's apartment, which is run down and not as domestic, but also alot brighter, colourful and bigger. This is symbolic of the freedom that Renton feels when he is away from his family and when he is on heroin, that freedom which has been stripped away from him by his parents, and, by proxy, all of the light and colour in his life disappears.

Various different camera angles and framing techniques are used to makes us feel aligned with Renton but also show his state of mind. Throughout the entire scene we are physically close to Renton, to makes us feel close to him emotionally aswell. Firstly, Renton is the only one who is physically there for the majority of the scene, making us focus on him in particular. This is followed by a zoom in on Renton in bed whilst being framed in the center of shot. This places him at the center of importance. More specifically, highlighting his struggle to overcome his addiction is important, so placing him in the center emphasises that importance. It is also important to note that zoom in places Renton from the background to the foreground. This is symbolising how Renton's struggles are only now coming into play in the narrative because throughout the film we have seen Renton taking heroin but not seen him struggle with that addiction. That zoom is telling the audience how the issue is becoming more evident in the story. Another shot i want to talk about is when Renton sees the baby crawling on the ceiling towards him. First of this is revealed through a tracking shot of the baby from behind not. This hides what the baby's face looks like and shocks the audience when it is revealed that it is rotted and pale from when it took the drugs. This creates a disturbing image for the audience aswell as Renton, who is staring straight at it. This makes us empathise further with Renton as in the context of the film he is the only one who can see it: the only one who is suffering. Furthermore, another point to add is that it is depicted as if Renton feels he is responsible for the baby's death. This because of the prior hallucination of Tommy, who died because of Renton's influence leading him to becoming a addict aswell. Because the baby follows Tommy, maybe it is suggesting that Renton believes he caused its death: maybe he blames himself because of him not trying to get over the addiction earlier and trying to get the baby away from the house or maybe try and get Allison off. This is also implied because of the narration from the TV repeating the words "guilty" when the baby is staring at him. This symbolises not only how he feels guilty over the baby's death but also he feels like he is being punished by this by his parents by locking him in his room or maybe even society by mistreating him.

The overdose scene highlights Renton's state of mind through camera angles, music and mise-en-scene. The scene starts with a close-up looking directly at the camera talking to his dealer. Because of where he is framed, it looks like Renton is talking directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall. Maybe its suggesting that Renton is has been addicted to heroin for so long, he spiritually in a different place to the other characters. Another shot to talk about is when he is given the needle and just before he look directly at the needle. This may suggest that Renton is contemplating taking the drugs and is hesitant because he knows it causes problems, foreshadowing the reveal of him being guilty about Tommy and the baby. On the other hand he maybe staring at it because he wants to savour the moment. More specifically, the colour of the needle is orange: orange symbolises freedom and enjoyment, and therefore the needle symbolises the freedom that Renton feels when he is using heroin, that freedom that he doesn't want to taken away from him, that freedom that he doesn't have with his parents. The same orange surrounds Renton on his apartment walls, symbolising how his whole life is driven by heroin and thrill it provides. However his shirt is white, which symbolises innocence and purity. Because he wearing this colour, it maybe highlighting how deep down Renton is still moral and innocent despite his addiction. That may also be a message to the audience that addicts are not just desperate criminals but real people with hard hitting issues, and this message is reinforced by telling through Renton's perspective and aligning us with his character.

The colour is then near enough extinguished when he actually overdoses. His dealer, instead of calling an ambulance put him in an taxi, which subverts our expectation not only because of the red herring of the ambulance driving past the estate but also it is what most people would do in that situation, highlighting the dealer's selfishness and lack of empathy for Renton. He drags Renton down the dark, run down stairs and leaves him in the middle of a road in the grey almost dystopian estate. The abundance of shadows, dark lighting and earthy, dark colours on the walls not only are sharp contrast to Renton's bright orange walls symbolises how Renton going into a dark place spiritually because of his addiction, the browns symbolising how Renton needs to be grounded and realise he needs help and the dealer literally and symbolically dragging him down the stairs and life because of his influence on him. The only bright colour that follows Renton is red. Red typically either anger, danger or passion. This red is what the colour his carpet is when he take the heroin, overdoses and "sinks into". This red follows him stair scene with a point of view shot and red covering part of his view. This could be a metaphor for how passion he has for heroin is blinding him from what is truly important in his life and blinding his judgement. It could also represent the repressed anger he has at himself for letting Tommy or the baby die and how the guilt metaphysically follows them around. This red follows Renton throughout the scene as the hospital bed he lays on has red cover underneath his entire body: surrounding him just like how the orange once surround him. The red represents in this shot the many dangers that heroin is causing him and he needs to "wake up" and faces his issues.