Human Traffic is a story that's getting a little stale, but the energetic young cast in this scrappy homage to sex/drugs/rock 'n' roll carries the day.
The story is set in Cardiff. The disaffected youth of Wales appear to be no more or less disaffected, not to mention disenfranchized or disappointed, than their peers in every similar cinematic outing from Blackboard Jungle to Trainspotting.
In the industrial city of Cardiff, a handful of buddies work at dead-end jobs or collect the dole. On the weekend, they have 48 hours to cut loose at raves, take drugs, drink to excess and seek out love, though not in that order.
Adrenalized cast
They worry about sexual performance. They worry about their relationships. They aggravate their parents. They speak directly to the camera. They smoke and chew gum at the same time, and mostly with their gobs open. Under the influence, they have complex discussions of Star Wars.
And so forth and so on.
On the other hand, Human Traffic has an entirely adrenalized young cast and a snappy way with a camera. The comedy stars John Simm, Lorraine Pilkington, Shaun Parkes, Nicola Reynolds and Danny Dyer, and despite the material, their performances make it easy to care about what happens to each character.
That isn't much, but never mind. Human Traffic has an exuberance that mirrors the energy of its cast. The dialogue ranges from inane to insane. There is not a sentence that can be uttered without various friendly obscenities (don't bring your old granny to this one), but for all the soul-searching and partying depicted here, it seems likely that the target audience for this one will welcome the film with open arms.
Human Traffic is a first feature from 25-year-old writer/director Justin Kerrigan, who says the film is drawn from his own experience of "Life in the bus lane." Yes, the film-school grad is a former club kid.
Human Traffic does not judge and does not forget to include dark glimpses of the coming-down in its depiction of the going-up of drugs. Several scenes are hilarious -- like the one in which the friends talk about the bands they hate most, or the scene that finds one of the guys talking his way into a club.
Youth is wasted on the young. Youth is also highly over-rated as a stage in life. If this is news to you, go see Human Traffic.
(This film is rated: AA )
More Movie Reviews
