Film Human Traffic

[E-llusion]

I really disliked this movie. In fact I remember being almost violently opposed to it when I saw it...

But then again, I dislike ecstasy... And I'm a bit of an asshole... Maybe that has something to do with it...

Well you answered your own question then didn't ya ?

8)

 

[alasdairm]

To clarify, I thought it was a shit film because it seemed fake to me, like it was trying to be hip and appeal to the e-generation.

i think it was definitely, in some ways, trying to be hip and appeal to the e-generation - i think, given the setting, subject matter, soundtrack, etc. that's exactly what it was trying to be and it was completely honest about it. i don't think it's pretending to be anything it's not.

you describe it as fake . justin kerrigan has been pretty clear all along that the characters are actually based in large part on real people. a lot of the characterisation of jip and lulu is based on kerrigan and his girlfriend in real life. it's not at all clear to me how that could be described as fake.

The characters lacked development

perhaps he was simply trying to mirror the hollow, passing nature of the relationships which a lot of people in dance culture have with others they only see in a drug-fuelled haze at certain events. they describe themselves as friends when they really don't know each other.

...and the dialogue at numerous points throughout made me cringe\nauseous, both because it was reminiscent of idiots I've had the misfortune of knowing over the years...

now you're criticising the dialogue because it was realistic? sounds like you want to have your cake and eat it?

The writer/director, Justin Kerrigan, has done absolutely nothing since his 1999 debut 'Human Traffic'. This isn't a result of him having tough breaks. It is because he lacks the talent to warrant anyone financing another one of his films...

that's an assumption on your part. there are many other assumptions one could make but they'd be just that - assumptions. again, kerrigan was very critical of the movie-making business when he got his big break - maybe he decided to stop making big-screen movies altogether and concentrate on smaller projects like the work he's done for the bbc?

but, like you, i have no idea - i'm just assuming...

alasdair

 

[alasdairm]

It's fake in the same sense that hollywood biopics are generally false representations of historical figures lives.

unless you are very familiar with kerrigan's pre-human traffic life, how can you know how representative (hence fake) it was?

I didn't say it was realistic. I said that it was reminiscent. They aren't the same thing.

but both are grounded in reality.

However much you try to discredit my opinion, it is not baseless and it is not an assumption. I actually went to the effort (as I usually do) of doing some research.

i wasn't trying to discredit your opinion - i'm trying to encourage a discussion. on a discussion board no less - the nerve!

i based what i wrote on what you wrote. i get tired of saying this on bl but you should be glad there are people here who take what you write at face value.

The entire film lacks depth and is essentially mindless, entertaining eye candy. If what you're saying is that the culture that the film is reflecting is also essentially mindless and indulgent, then I agree with you. But it doesn't make a good film IMO.

the fact that it lacks depth and is essentially mindless, entertaining eye candy, doesn't make it a bad film either

alasdair

 

[alasdairm]

I have no patience for an adult film that is simply trying to be 'cool' and 'hip' and consistantly visually stimulating, without actually having any significant underlying messages to justify it's budget and the time I spent watching it...

which says as much about you as it does about the movie. no more no less.

For the exact same (or very similar) reasons, I have no patience for MDMA. I just don't see the point. I'd rather learn something profound or 'expand my mind' in some way then just indulge in an experience that is basically six hours of sensory stimulation.

which says as much about you as it does about the drug. no more no less.

It pisses me off that this is an "ecstasy generation" and that the 60's was more of an "acid generation". What does that say about the modern world exactly?

that the more things change, the more they stay the same?

was to indicate that I wanted to bypass any potential personal offense and also, like you, just generate a discussion.

indeed. and i thank and respect you for that.

alasdair

 

[alasdairm]

To me, the progression from an "acid generation" to an "ecstasy generation" has an enormous amount of profound implications regarding the decline of western civilizations drug sub-cultures and the underlying motivations behind modern man's experimental drug use.

People (obviously with many, many exceptions) used to take "acid" to 'expand their minds' and to understand things about themselves and the world around them. They were, in their own admittedly misguided ways, revolutionaries and prophets. The "acid" experience changed them and made them permanently reconsider their views on the world and their lifestyle choices.

Ecstasy on the other hand is a temporary fix. False happiness in a pill. The characters in Human Traffic hate five sevenths of their lives. They work shitty jobs and eek out feeble existances in order to finance what is inevitably going to be a fun, crazy, drug fuelled weekend. The thing that bothers me about that sentence the most is the word 'inevitably'. Rather than altering your perception of the world and of people around you, it reduces the spectrum of emotions so that only the positive ones remain. It provides no reason or insight as to why you are happy or why you love the people around you, you simply do.

Ecstasy reminds me of Soma in 'Brave New World'. It also reminds me of the machine that Deckard uses in 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'. Anything, in my opinion, that sparks a particular emotional response, regardless of environment or circumstance is a dangerous tool that has the potential to cause ignorance on a mass-scale. Rather than having people face their demons, it makes the demons simply dissapear for the duration of the drug.

Why has escapism replaced existentialism as the popular drug-induced pass time? In other words, why is this generation so intent on deluding itself into states of temporary bliss rather than progressively working towards states of actual bliss?

this sounds like a case of "i don't have a problem with my drug habit but i do have a problem with your drug habit"

different people took (and take) lsd for different reasons - including but not limited to - mind-expansion and simply getting fucked up. i'm sure different people take mdma for different reasons - including but not limited to - mind-expansion and simply getting fucked up.

suggesting one entire group were using a drug 'properly' (for want of a better word) and another entire group are not, sounds like drug snobbery of the first order.

if you want to pick that up, this probably is not the place for it. also, related reading: any one of 100 threads elsewhere on bluelight.

alasdair

 

[uacvax]

I like the part where they're talking about how cold society is these days, and some guy sits on the couch next to them, accidentally bumping one of them. Immediately they start calling him names like twat =p

 

[Arnold]

It would need a second part.

 

[captainballs]

love this film - brings back so many memories........

 

[L2R]

It would need a second part.

what do you mean, like a sequel?

 

[Arnold]

Yeah sorry should have said sequel (early mornings & all that )

 

[jpgrdnr]

I saw it a couple of days ago and it reminds me of a lighter fare Go. With a smear of British comedy thrown in. It helps to be high when watching the movie too.

I definitely liked the bit about listening to BBC with Pete Tong as a start to your night in the car.

But the characters are shallow. Its a comedy. This isn't Danny Boyle or Darren Aronofsky. Or Larry Clark.

On the positive side it does make some interesting points about general drug use/culture. And more specifically British drug culture.

 

[xpensivtaste]

fucking yeaaaaahhhh. love it! it reminds me of the good old days

 

[xpensivtaste]

lol yeah, niiiice one bruvaaaa.

Take me to a place where the drugs are free, the clubs have no gravity and every shag guarantees an orgasm!

I'm making love to the music man. And believe me, I can go all night.

my personal fave....Hi Man, What have you had? Reach for the lasers... safe as fuck.

 

[Damien]

Related Reading

 

[felix]

>>> merged

hint: film & tv index

nice one bruvva.

 

[the milk man]

i hadent heard of this film till a watched it a few weeks ago and yeah id have so say it was a good film. favorite scene was the comedown/crash scene in the kitchen, VERY well conveyed. reminds me of the fine direction of spun and requiem for capturing th shear tweaked out/artificial empathy/ crash horror...

 

[DoctorShop]

I enjoyed it when I first saw it when I was young and naive. Now it just irritates me. Like other people have posted: characters are cliches, so are the lines they speak.

I can understand why people who have just discovered ecstacy and the whole club scene would enjoy it though.

 

[xenixtao]

I didn't rate it that highly but then I didn't see it when it first came out. I just though it was a bit cliched and all the the scenarios it showed were in a way similar to experiences we all had but came across as not being so (like that fuck off chillout party at the mansion, mine were always six of us hugging on the floor at my mate's house).

I thought the TV series Tinsel Town covered the same subject matter much better

 

[wArEhOuSePuNk]

i just saw this movie last night & it kicked ass. so i had to search for & revive this thread.

4 stars!

Felix & Child-of-the-beat.....

I just figured out where your BL names came from :D



I dont remember his name , but the black junglist dude was my favorite character...

 

[felix]

Felix & Child-of-the-beat.....

I just figured out where your BL names came from :D

hah, really? please explain! :D