Swimming Through the Toilet

The scene in Trainspotting in which Renton crawls into and then swims through the toilet is one of the most interesting shots in the film; in fact, it has become quite legendary for its graphic, yet imaginative, depiction of filth. After taking a hit, Renton climbs into an unimaginably dirty toilet in a rank public bathroom and begins swimming through the pipes out to the sea. The scene conveys the floating, light feelings and hallucinations of heroin addicts. Although the scene may make the use of drugs seem intriguing, it also represents the frighteningly vivid hallucinations addicts have under the influence and the horrific lengths to which they will go to for their next hit.

Swimming through the toilet into the sea is merely one of Renton's fantasies appearing in the film, but as the first time the audience sees him in such a state...