Human Traffic may be the most uplifting drug movie of the 90s.  Forget the Trainspotting references, forget Permanent Midnight, Boogie Nights, Go, or any other film that touched on drug use with varying degrees of fascination and disgust.  This first feature by Justin Kerrigan is pretty much a joy ride, though like all high-speed trips, it too has its come down.

Whereas movies like Trainspotting, to which Human Traffic has been compared, show the wretched demise of its young revelers, Human Traffic is about the everyday kids in their twenties who experiment with drugs and eventually move on to lead presumably normal (and by Trainspotting standards, probably boring) lives.  In the 70s this would be a movie about sex and pot.  It being the late nineties, though, ecstasy is the drug of choice.  These kids are not any more screwed up than any other kids in their 20s who haven’t yet figured out what they want to do, where they want to do and with whom they like to do it.  They are the kids who in fifteen years could star in the Big Chill or Return of the Secaucus 7.  The film focuses on Jip, an endearing nice guy experiencing a sexual dry spell.  The film compassionately jokes with his sexual insecurities, dubbing his unwilling anatomy Mr. Floppy and providing appropriate sight gags to go along.  The film watches Jip and his gang gather for an evening of partying which includes a dance club, hits of ecstasy, a little bit of romance and the eventual comedown that, although none too pretty, maybe a worthy price to pay.

Through the fast beats and jump cuts, the compassion Kerrigan has for Jip and his entourage is what makes the film more than a music video or after school special.  Kerrigan allows his characters to be kids, and while they get on your nerves with their enthusiasm for drug culture, which is immature at turns, one has to give them a break as they are immature.  They are well aware they have not yet leaped into adulthood and are in no great rush. They haven’t quite been able to forge a life on their own yet, and the party scene offers a bout of independence and rebellion.  In this sense it’s an old story with new music and different drugs, and in Human Traffic no one is going to end up in rehab.  So, what’s wrong with that?  Isn’t it just the harmless sowing of some wild oats?  To that question, Jip and his spirited ensemble offer a resounding ‘Yes.’