Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
For Jip, Lulu, Koop, Nina and Moff, the dead-end jobs they endure during the week just kill the time until Friday night. That's when they cut very loose and get on the rollercoaster ride that takes them right through to Monday morning.
Human Traffic is a vivid, electric snapshot of late-90s British rave culture that earns its Novelty score through a genuinely distinctive voice — fourth-wall breaks, fragmented vignettes, and an almost documentary energy that captures Cardiff's youth scene with rare authenticity. The acting is energetic and naturalistic, with John Simm and Lorraine Pilkington particularly strong, though the ensemble occasionally tips into caricature. Cinematography is stylish and inventive for its budget, using split screens and frenetic editing that suit the material. The plot, however, is deliberately thin — it's a vibe piece more than a narrative, and while that's part of its charm, it does leave the dramatic structure feeling slight. The ending similarly deflates: the comedown is honest but the film struggles to land with real emotional resonance, fading out rather than concluding.