young people are represented in a raw and unfiltered way showing the struggles dealing with pressures and being influenced as well as the complexity of being young and impressionable as well as being rebellious whilst navigating through life’s challenges.

older people such as parents and authority are represented somewhat negatively as its subjectively reflecting many young peoples view of authority figures. parents are portrayed as being either ‘too clingy’ and controlling or absent from the characters lives, capturing the failure the of understanding between younger people and their parents. authority figures are seen as an obstacle because of the rebellious nature of the characters.

working class people are represented in an anaesthetic way, portraying the struggles and impacts that can come along with being working class, such as unemployment and a smaller choice of opportunities. the movie gives a raw view of poverty not often represented in movies for first world countries.

the movie represents Scottish people with things such as embracing use of humour, dialect and tradition embracing the cultural aspects of the characters, presenting Scottish people as proud and resilient which is at the heart of the movie.

addicts are not romanticised in the movie as it often is in others, showing horrific and realistic events caused due to the effects of addiction as well as exploring the easily influenced youth through the characters whilst showing the desperation for the substances and the lengths they would go for them. there are also un naturalistic aspects added to really emphasise the physical and emotional destructive effects these drugs can have.

women in trainspotting play a crucial role, though there aren’t many female characters in the movie. they play important roles in the male characters whilst we see how their addiction can impacts the women’s lives. the women help enhance the movies themes of vulnerability, desires and resilience. though the movies portrayal of women may be flawed in some aspects, it shows the struggles they face due to the consequences of others impacting their lives whilst being resilient

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men in trainspotting are portrayed with a wide range of characteristics whilst showing the complexity of toxic masculinity, accompanying things such as aggression, as the the protagonists are learning to navigate their lives.