Human Traffic (1999)

(In theaters, December 2000) Trust the British to deliver top-notch exhilarating comedy. The “story” of five teenagers on a weekend of sex, drugs and techno music, Human Traffic quickly wins over its audience with hilarious fantasy sequences and fast-paced narration. Film techniques are blasted frenetically at the audience and after the first fifteen minutes you’re either in the film or outside the theater. Unlike other similar films, though, Human Traffic maintains its energy (and the constantly hilarious fantasy sequences) all the way to the finale. Moralists will tut-tut the ambivalent drug “message” and the lack of consequences for reckless activities, but it somehow comes across as realist, not offensive or preachy. It’s hard to describe in written terms the overall impact of Human Traffic without overusing words like “fun”, “energy” and “hilarious”, but just think of it as a lively gem just waiting for your discovery. If you’re still under thirty.