Contemporary Cinemas – CA1
Q: Review a cult film (post 2010) and explain exactly what makes your choice a cult film.
A cult film, or cult classic is typically defined as being a non-mainstream film enjoyed ironically or otherwise by a small, close-knit community of highly dedicated fans. These films are often the subject of repeat showings in dedicated theatres and can be followed by Q&A panels and analyses by their respective makers. Fan interaction tends to be the measurement of popularity within this particular movement. Historically, cult films have tended to push cultural and artistic boundaries in their often controversial and candid expressions of violence, sexuality and general exploration of out of bounds subject matter.
“There’s no single way to recognize a cult movie other than the simple fact that it’s developed a fiercely devoted audience that watches it over and over, preferably at midnight in a theatre packed with other die-hards. Few reach the level of The Big Lebowski and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, where fans throw giant conventions and come dressed up as their favourite characters, but all are repeatedly watched on DVD and analyzed endlessly on the internet.” – Rolling Stone.
The term ‘cult classic’ was coined as early as the 1950’s but didn’t acquire its modern meaning until the birth of the ‘midnight movie’ phenomenon in the 1970’s. Despite this, cult films have existed as early as cinema’s silent era. Notable German Expressionist masterpiece Nosferatu (1922) by F.W. Murnau was kept alive through the circulation of bootleg prints by a small community of loyal fans. They did this in defiance of a lawsuit calling for the destruction of the film. This was due to a copyright issue regarding Bram Stoker’s book Dracula (1897). Because of this dedicated cult following, Nosferatu is today recognized as “One of the silent era's most influential masterpieces, Nosferatu's eerie, gothic feel—and a chilling performance from Max Schreck as the vampire—set the template for the horror films that followed.”
There are five prominent categories pertaining to cult film:
“So bad, it’s good”
This category consists of low-budget features that garnered little to low commercial and critical praise and which have inadvertently become comedies in the eyes of mainstream cinephiles. Examples include Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) and Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (2003).
Camp and Guilty Pleasures
These films typically possess an avant-garde quality with emphasis placed on over-the-top theatrics and concepts. Fans of this category of cult film will overlook a film’s shortcomings in favour of it’s endearing and inclusive subject matter and atmosphere. An example of a film in this category is The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
Nostalgia
Due to both the setting and numerous references to films and pop culture of the period; Stranger Things (2015) exhibits strong nostalgia for the 1980’s. Of nostalgia in film, academic Brigid Cherry states that it “is a strong element of certain kinds of cult appeal.” Although modern fans were not alive during the 1980’s, the show’s popularity can reliably be chalked up to a fondness for retro aesthetics.
Midnight movies
This 1970’s phenomenon was a filmistic response to the ‘punk’ movement within America. These films required a lively and youthful nightlife. These extremely cheap films had a grimey and botched aesthetic. Night of the Living Dead (1968) fits into this category.
Art and Exploitation
These films typically try to provoke a response from audiences. Although seemingly contradictory, these terms are bandied together in cult fandom.
‘B’ and Genre films
Quentin Tarantino is the most successful genre filmmaker of the day. He has brought cult and genre films into the mainstream and risen to become a major player in the modern film industry.
Animation
Ralph Bakshi is an example of a cult animator. His highly sexualised and gritty imagery subverts traditional expectations of what illuminated drawings should be.
Nonfiction
Errol Morris’ 1988 masterpiece The Thin Blue Line has gained a massive cult following. Although Morris lost money on its production; this documentary has garnered the reputation of being “the most political documentary of the 20th Century.”
Following my review of Danny Boyle’s T2: Trainspotting (2017), I will outline and explain what makes it a cult film, paying particular attention to the nostalgia which permeates the piece.
Definition of nostalgia:
A sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past.
Something done or presented in order to evoke feelings of nostalgia.
The Oxford English Dictionary
2017 was the year that Trainspotting (1996), the indie cult classic that launched the careers of both it’s director and star Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor respectively — got its long awaited sequel. Some have criticized its title, calling it ‘clunky’. On the contrary, T2: Trainspotting is entirely appropriate, for the lifepath of an addict is not linear but in fact circular. T2: Trainspotting demonstrates that for the lives of the addicts that inhabit this claustrophobic and trauma-ridden Edinborough underbelly, nothing ever really changes. From the opening scene, we know just what we are getting: a pull-no-punches, twisted thrill ride on the melancholy-tinged nostalgia train that is Trainspotting. The opening scene sees a middle-aged Renton (Ewan McGregor) running on a treadmill; the sene is spliced with footage of a young, wide-eyed ‘Rentboy’ smiling, walking into his future with a bag of stolen cash. We cut back to a seemingly healthy Renton, full of life until he suddenly collapses, crashing into a pillar; he’s had a heart attack — que the title card.
Their latest caper sees the dysfunctional gang attempting to reconnect. Sickboy (Jonny Lee Miller) still spends his time on the fringes of society; making a living by blackmailing clients of his prostitute-slash-girlfriend Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova). The ever-lovable but hopeless Spud (Ewen Bremner) attends meetings where he speaks about the bottomless pit of heroin addiction, describing it with defeat as being the only friend that was there for him through all of life’s hardships. He longs for reconciliation with Gail (Shirley Henderson) and to be accepted by his only son. Begbie (Robert Carlisle) stages an elaborately bold escape from prison and of returning home and meeting his son for the first time in twenty years, bonds with him the only way he knows how: cruely and without foresight, attempting to drag him into a life of crime.
Metaphors abound in this piece. While many have put forward the claim that Boyle’s latest foray into the lives of the doomed Edinborough clan is merely a ‘cash grab’, citing heavy reliance on the nostalgia held by fans of the original, that is precisely the point: Nostalgia. But it’s more than that: we have witnessed Rent boy, Spud, Sick boy and Begbie searching for hit after hit; whether it be the pursuit of intravenous injection or raging violence, this is how they live — scratch that; survive. Renton’s recent turn of events sees him returning to the Glasgow he left twenty years prior and attempting to reconnect with the friends he wronged. He meets with his father, we see the murky silhouettes of the two effective strangers sitting at the kitchen table, the camera angle deceives us by creating the illusion of his mother’s shadow sitting across from them.
Everything about T2: Trainspotting oozes nostalgia, from its opening credits sequences featuring the men as young boys at primary school to the ‘ghosts’ of Spud and Rentboy from twenty years ago who periodically make their presences known as they wander aimlessly through the streets of their forgotten lives. An update of the original film’s staple track ‘Born Slippy’ by Underworld features on the soundtrack. The tune is naturally moodier than it’s energetic precursor and gives a sense of progression; filling the atmosphere with a desperate and irrevocable sense of creaky disillusionment. This track haunts a relapse scene featuring Renton and Sickboy as they spike their veins for the first time in a long time in an attempt to suppress the demons of their shameful past. Renton and Sickboy are plagued by guilt over causing the deaths of friend Tommy and infant daughter Dawn, respectively.
Spud’s long and painful struggle to liberate himself from the suffocating clutches of heroin addiction sees him recurrently doubled-over in scenes, giving centre stage to animations of his German Expressionist-esque shadow, ominously lurking over him with a twisted mind of its own. This is to be seen as a visual representation of paranoia and the threat of relapse hanging over him.
One of the ways nostalgia plays a crucial part in this sequel is in how many of the scenes that helped Trainspotting (1996) gain cult classic status are revisited but with a few necessary changes. A scene in which Renton and Begbie meet for the first time between toilet stalls indulges in playful farce; this is heavily reminiscent of the ‘worst toilet in Scotland’ scene from the original. Diane’s meeting with Renton sees her quip that Veronika is too young for him; a witty throwback to their affair of her schoolgirl days.
Nostalgia in its latin origin can be referred to as a “melancholy state of mind.” Knowing this, T2: Trainspotting in its subaqueous peregrination of depression, inadequacy and unfulfilled lives absolutely embodies this notion. This time around, Boyle dispenses with the hyper assiduous pace of the first film, in favour of a more mature, middle-aged and circumspect rhythm — a sensible calculation by a competent director. Credit goes to the entirety of the main cast of T2:Trainspotting for their thoroughly believable performances. Each actor inhabits his or her roles with genuine and sincere vulnerability. Special acknowledgement must go to Anjela Nedyalkova, Shirley Henderson and Kelly Macdonald for their portrayals of Veronika, Gail and Diane respectively. The women don’t feature as prominently in this film as their male counterparts; despite this, their presence serves to ground the men — theirs are the voices of reason and rationality in the face of reckless abandonment. Anjela Nedyalkova’s Veronika brings a fresh face to the historic cast of characters. The infectious charm and wit she injects into her performance disarms us to an otherwise rather cardboard femme fatale character.
In the tradition of nostalgia, the ending of T2: Trainspotting changes little but the character’s who get away. Veronika has always had a soft spot for Spud, as do many fans. She is the compulsion for the film’s familiar ending; conning both Renton and Sickboy for the betterment of Spud’s circumstance. They are the heroes of this film. Spud’s numerous nostalgic writings serve to remind us of how little things change. He manages to regain Gail’s trust and solicit her help in publishing his work, his writing now reciprocating his heroin habit. This ending exudes hopeful optimism; but how long will it last? Look at how it turned out the last time.
It is made explicitly clear from the start of this film what to expect; a pure and uninterrupted nostalgia trip back into the gutter. For all of the film’s shortcomings, it is faithful to both the original film and its fans. The criticism made by various critics and websites about the nostalgic element merely being a cheap ploy to get people into cinemas is quite frankly missing the point. Addicts constantly tell of how their lives are swallowed up; how they are enslaved by the pursuit of their next hit. Well, T2: Trainspotting is exactly that; the next hit.
Boyle and his cast and crew tackled this sequel with the same spirit obtained in the original, if that spirit had been worn down by the natural progression of devastating circumstances and life choices. T2: Trainspotting is both the manifestation and embodiment of nostalgia; not only on-screen but also in terms of cult cinema. Danny Boyle has always been a cult director — from his breakout film Shallow Grave in 1994 he has stayed true to himself, and to cult. His dynamic aesthetic verve and intuition has been ever present and it has certainly not let him down this time.