Five youngsters embrace the 90s clubbing scene on a drug-fuelled weekend of partying in Cardiff.Five youngsters embrace the 90s clubbing scene on a drug-fuelled weekend of partying in Cardiff.Five youngsters embrace the 90s clubbing scene on a drug-fuelled weekend of partying in Cardiff.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 9 wins & 7 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to an article in Mixmag in 1999, the drug gurning etc was for real as the cast did have ecstasy and drank a lot of alcohol whilst filming.
- GoofsWhen Jip is driving home from work, his right foot - his accelerator foot - is tapping along to the music yet the car still drives smoothly.
- Quotes
Jip: The weekend has landed. All that exists now is clubs, drugs, pubs and parties. I've got 48 hours off from the world, man. I'm gonna blow steam out my head like a screaming kettle, I'm gonna talk cod shit to strangers all night, I'm gonna lose the plot on the dancefloor. The free radicals inside me are freakin', man! Tonight I'm Jip Travolta, I'm Peter Popper, I'm going to never-never land with my chosen family, man. We're gonna get more spaced out than Neil Armstrong ever did, anything could happen tonight, you know? This could be the best night of my life. I've got 73 quid in my back burner - I'm gonna wax the lot, man! The Milky Bars are on me! Yeah!
- Alternate versionsA special edition, Human Traffic Remixed, is available on DVD. This is re-cut with new scenes, new CGI effects, and new tracks.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Cinemania: Ypalliloi en drasei! (2009)
- SoundtracksBuild It Up, Tear It Down
Written by Fatboy Slim (as Normal Cook)
Published by PolyGram International Music Publishing
Performed by Fatboy Slim
Licensed courtesy of Skint Records
Justin Kerrigan - this time you've really done it. Human Traffic is going to upset the majority of film critics who will view the lack of plot, the drug induced dialogue and the futile outlook on Nineties Youth culture as a miserable and desperate view of how weekends are spent by ravers and clubheads across the UK. Moreover, they will spot camera work borrowed from Boogie Nights and even try and associate the whole film with 'Trainspotting' theme (because, lets face it, a Scottish Heroin addict trying to clean up his act and a Welsh clubber looking for a good time with his mates is pretty much the same thing, right?)
Well wrong. Human Traffic has landed - along with one and a half quality hours of clubs, drugs, pubs and parties - and its time to leave behind your preconceptions of what a film should be like (where's the plot? I want a plot!) and instead delve into the lives of Jip (John Simm) and his mates, Nina (Nicola Reynolds), Koop (Shaun Parkes), Lulu (Lorraine Pilkington) and Moff (Danny Dyer). There's nothing special about these five friends; they're just hanging out together and showing you the way they lead their lives. They are not Burger King. They certainly don't do it your way. And you don't like it - well, tough.
Because essentially this period piece has captured everything that Nineties youth culture is revolving around. There are no clear solutions, in fact very few problems in the first place. At the end of the day, what Jip and his friends are doing is living and who are we to know or comment on anything different? They drink, smoke dope, pop pills and party; they know the risks and they're prepared to take them and moralists will just have to sit back and (try to) enjoy the ride.
The sound track is terrific and accompanies the highs and lows of the 48 hour weekend and the events that take place in it. But within this, what first appears to be social unity, we see traces of individual isolation that are easy to bypass in a culture of hedonism. Jips paranoia of sex, Koops jealous possession of Nina and Moff as his drug habit digs him deeper into his own hole and further away from his family, asks the question 'are things really this good?' However they will not be exaggerated to the extent that they are conspicuous, giving the film a controversial stance on drugs and the role in social integration. Kerrigan is pulling no punches. And why should he? This isn't GO! or any other such American rave film with clear cut margins and please-the-crowd conclusions - it is one that forces us to question whilst at the same time enjoy the at times hilarious, touching and other times exciting events of 48 hours with a group of five 'friends'.
And for the die-hard British youth among you, this might not be reality - but it's a bloody brave effort at depicting it.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Generación Éxtasis
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- £2,200,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $104,257
- Gross worldwide
- $104,257
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1