Human Traffic

This article is about the film. For the Page 44 song, see Human Traffic (song). For the human rights issue, see Human trafficking. For the phenomenon, see Traffic.

Human Traffic
US release poster
Directed byJustin Kerrigan
Written byJustin Kerrigan
Produced byAllan Niblo
Emer McCourt
Renata S. Aly
StarringJohn Simm
Lorraine Pilkington
Shaun Parkes
Danny Dyer
Nicola Reynolds
CinematographyDave Bennett
Edited byPatrick Moore
Music byMatthew Herbert
Roberto Mello
Production
companies
Irish Screen
Fruit Salad Films[1]
Distributed byMetrodome Distribution (United Kingdom)
Clarence Pictures (Ireland)
Release dates
  • 4 June 1999 (1999-06-04) (United Kingdom)
  • 18 June 1999 (1999-06-18) (Ireland)
Running time
99 minutes[2]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Ireland
LanguageEnglish
Budget£2.2 million[3]
Box office£2.5 million[4]

Human Traffic is a 1999 British-Irish independent coming of age comedy drama film written and directed by Justin Kerrigan.[3] It is a cult film of the Cool Cymru era of arts in Wales.

The film explores themes of coming of age, drug and night club cultures, as well as relationships. It includes scenes provoking social commentary and the use of archive footage to provide political commentary. The plot of the film revolves around five twenty-something friends and their wider work and social circle,[3] the latter devotees of the club scene, taking place over the course of a drug-fuelled weekend in Cardiff, Wales.[5] A central feature is the avoidance of moralising about the impact of 1990s dance lifestyle; instead the film concentrates on recreating the "vibe, the venues and the mood" of the dance movement[6] from the 1988–89 "Second Summer of Love" to the film's release in 1999.[1] In the first 25 minutes of the film Lee, the 17-year-old brother of central character Nina, enthuses "I am about to be part of the chemical generation" and lists, using the slang of the period, a series of drugs that he might use later that night.[1] The film is narrated by one of the stars, John Simm, featuring numerous cameo appearances. It is also the film debut of Danny Dyer as well as referencing another drug culture film of the era, Trainspotting.[1]

With an original budget of £340,000,[4] the production eventually came in for £2,200,000;[3] the film was a financial success, taking in £2,500,000 at the UK box office alone,[4] also enjoying good VHS and DVD sales. Human Traffic has achieved cult status, especially amongst subcultures such as the rave culture. A sequel, known as Human Traffic 2: Revolution was announced in April 2019 and was due for release at an unknown date, with Dyer, Parkes and Reynolds due to reprise their roles.[7] However Justin Kerrigan, the writer and director of Human Traffic, confirmed in 2024 that he will never make the sequel.[8]

  1. ^ a b c d Human Traffic DVD copyright Prism Leisure 2003 EAN: 5014293134552
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbfc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Morris, Mark (16 May 1999). "Something for the weekend". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Brooks, Xan (18 October 2002). "The party's over". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 November 2002. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Human Traffic film locations in Cardiff". Euro Film Sets. 15 October 2007. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  6. ^ "Channel 4 (UK TV Station) Film Reviews". Retrieved 9 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "'Human Traffic' sequel confirmed and will be "a reaction to Brexit"". NME. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Human Traffic director Justin Kerrigan: "I will never make a sequel"". DJ Mag. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.