A Reliable Narrator is Still Telling Us Their Point of View: Renton in Trainspotting

Trainspotting: Image From IMDB

Introduction

A Reliable Narrator within the context of a movie or book is someone who tells us the truth about what’s going on. They’re not trying to trick the audience, and while they may withhold some facts, they will eventually reveal them in an honest manner. Often the withholding of facts is for dramatic purpose, not because they’re trying to sway our opinion or understanding.

Reliable Narrators can be stand up decent guys, or bad guys. Often within Film Noir the reliable narrator is a fallen detective. Maybe someone who meant well but made a mess of things after falling for the wrong Femme Fatale (is there a right femme fatale?) He’s not looking for sympathy, or making excuses, he just wants to recount his tale.

The Reliable Narrator could be a criminal like in Casino or Goodfella’s. We’re not lied to at any point in those movies, in fact, their honesty about their criminal undertakings is almost humorous. They tell us what nasty shit they’re going to do, and then they do it. Whether we agree with their actions or not (largely not) at least they’re honest.

Which, neatly brings me onto a similar line of thought about Renton in Trainspotting.

Renton is reliable. He is telling us the truth. But… it’s his version of the truth. We believe what he’s saying because he’s self deprecating, admits he’s a fuckup, and is charming. He believes what he is telling us, so we believe him.

But, does his vulnerability sway our judgement of him? He’s not the good guy, but we kind of want him to be okay by the end. We’re sort of willing to overlook his actions.

If he wasn’t telling us the story would we think the same about him?

If Sick Boy narrated the film instead, with all things being equal and Sick Boy being as honest as Renton, would our opinion of him change?

Ultimately, I guess the question becomes… Can a heroin addict really be considered a reliable narrator, even when he believes he’s being honest to us?

There will be heavy spoilers from here on out…

Trainspotting: Image From IMDB

A Reliable Narrator

How Renton Gets Us On His Side

Renton starts the movie with a monologue about choosing life. About how he doesn’t want a nine-to-five, and how heroin is better than sex. He’s very convincing in his rant about how arduous modern life can be, and how he’s living in the moment more than we all are.

It’s an honest, charming, and humorous monologue, which gets us on his side despite watching him steal shit and take drugs. He’s already got a power over us, even though few of us would approve of his actions or lifestyle.

His self-awareness and self-deprecation of his addiction also helps shape us into believing he’s an honest, reliable, narrator. It feels like he has nothing to hide. When he tells us it’s his last time, “he’s off the skag,”we don’t believe him for a second. Yet, that false admission doesn’t cause us to loss faith in our narrator when the stories only just began.

It’s a prebuilt societal thing where we will always doubt an addict telling us it’s their last time. He’s being dishonest with himself, not us. He doesn’t (or rather does) disappoint when he’s back on the heroin by the end of the long and truly fantastic first act. But, we don’t hold it against his narrational reliability because we always knew he would be.

With that said, it does however feel like he is trying to overcome his addiction. This helps build up our sympathy towards him, especially as we don’t see any of the other characters trying (other than Sick Boy, but apparently it’s effortless to him, according to Renton).

When Renton’s parents help him finally break the cycle, supporting him as he leaves Edinburgh for London to try and make something of himself we’re proud of him. Maybe we even feel like he’ll stick with it this time.

There’s been growth in both his actions, and his appearance. He looks less strung out and gaunt. He starts wearing an ill-fitted suit. He has his own place that looks somewhat respectable (until Begbie turns up) We can see he’s trying, and that reinforces our trust in him.

When his friends barge back into his new life we feel sorry for Renton. He was doing so well, and we hope they won’t draw him back into the life he left behind. Be a bad influence. Because the life he left behind was full of chaos and destruction and he’s no long about that. (It doesn’t matter that he played no small part in that destruction) Again, we want our narrator to be okay.

He’s telling us he’s trying, and we can see he is.

Cracks Start to Appear in Narrators Point Of View

When Renton returns to Scotland it’s due to something he could well be massively blamed for, and this is maybe one of the things we don’t question him about as much as we should. Even a Reliable Narrator is still telling us his side of the story, rather than being completely objective (which is virtually impossible in first person)

Renton’s friend Tommy has died. He got hooked on drugs and it led to his eventual death. Renton is told of how Tommy died by a friend outside our main group and at no point is it mentioned Renton is the one who got Tommy hooked on drugs.

Conveniently, he lets someone else tell the story, someone who doesn’t know that fact. We’re told Tommy got hooked on drugs after Lizzy left him, which is true. But, the reason Lizzy left him was because of Renton stealing their homemade sex tape. Renton never reveals this to anyone, but we as the audience know. We also know Renton gave Tommy his first hit, and later gave him money for more. At no point does Renton offer Tommy any help, or try to talk him out of it the second money was mentioned.

The storyteller for this portion of the narrative doesn’t know any of this, and Renton doesn’t intervene to fill in the blanks (Therefore maintaining his honesty and ‘innocence’ because he’s not the one telling us the horrible deed)

Now, imagine if Sick Boy or Tommy (from beyond the grave) was telling us these events. Renton’s name would have come up a lot and our opinion of him would definitely have changed. Maybe we overlooked his role in Tommy’s death, or maybe we didn’t, but if someone else had told us the story it would have had a much greater impact on our feelings towards Renton.

The same could be said for earlier when Spud ended up in prison. Renton acted sympathetic but ultimately he avoided jail for exactly the same crime. He gave the judge some bullshit story about how with God’s help he can beat the addiction… before overdosing less than a day later.

He had to do everything within his power not to wink at the camera when he said that. Again, if Spud was narrating at this point I’m sure the point of view would be very different. Spud’s harmless and dimwitted, but he must have felt aggrieved.

Renton Vs Sick Boy

One of the more interesting aspects of Renton’s reliable narration is his opinion of Sick Boy. He describes Sick Boy as “lacking moral fibre,” and we take his word for it because Sick Boy is a drug addict and a bit of a wheeler and dealer. But, are Sick Boy’s actions throughout the movie any worse than Renton’s?

Should Renton judge Sick Boy when they’re both on similar paths? Renton isn’t lying to us, he believes what he said. But, objectively, we can see both their actions, and they’re not miles apart.

Sick Boy also repeatedly tires to get off the drugs, especially after the babies death (that scene is horrible, surely it put so many people of drugs?) He doesn’t exactly get honest work, but I wouldn’t say he’s putting in much less effort than Renton. And, Sick Boy is pretty charming himself.

If he was narrating the movie instead of Renton would we consider him just as reliable? I think there’s a chance we would. I don’t recall him lying at any point in the movie.

The ultimate test for this point of interest comes at the end of the film when the group makes money from a drug deal in the final act. Renton doesn’t hesitate to steal the money while the others are asleep. He then tells us how Sick Boy would’ve done the same, but Sick Boy didn’t. He justifies this by acting like he came up with the plan quicker than Sick Boy, but if Sick Boy was truly “lacking moral fibre,” wouldn’t he have already executed the plan?

He had the same opportunities Renton did. And, he’s the one who put up half the money, came across the opportunity in the first place, and arranged the deal. Really, Sick Boy cut his friends in on the deal. He needed Renton to help with half the cash but he didn’t need to invite Begbie and Spud along, yet he did.

Trainspotting: Image From IMDB

Does Good or Bad equate to Reliable or Unreliable?

During Renton’s closing monologue he admits to being a bad person and fucking over his friends, which are both true. So, why are we still kind of happy for him? Why are we glad he got out of there and is going to make something of his life? Does he deserve it more than Sick Boy?

I think with that kind of cash Sick Boy would probably have set up some kind of business and tried to make something of himself. Obviously he deserved it more than Begbie, because Begbie is a fucking psychopath. And, unfortunately, I think Spud would have died from an overdose if he had that much money, so it was probably best he didn’t take it.

But, what makes Renton deserve it above anyone else?

I think the answer is because he was the one telling the story. That he told it as honestly as he could, but always with his own self in mind. He turned us against Sick Boy, who was no better than him, but no worse. He over looked the devastation he caused in Tommy’s life, not once narrating any part of that, either though shame or self preservation.

He made us sympathise with him by oversharing his struggles and being charming about it. When he tells you being a drug addict isn’t as easy as it looks, that it’s actually a lot of hard work, you sort of believe him, rather than thinking shut the fuck up and sort yourself out.

He has a charm and power over us. We forget who and what he really is at times because we want him to do better, which is not a bad thing. We should want him to be okay. But, I can’t help but think he manipulated us with his truth, and because of it he walked away at end of the movie like some kind of hero, when he was very, very, far from it.

History is told by the winners.

A Reliable Narrator is still only telling us events from their perspective. They may fully believe what they’re saying, and believe they’re  being completely honest with us, but it’s rare one person can ever fully know the whole story and be entirely objective about it.