Trance
Simon (James McAvoy) works at an auction house in London. He is describing to us the process that goes on in the event that somebody tries to steal one of the paintings up for auction. He discusses how different things are from the old days, and that the most important thing to know is, “no painting is worth a human life.” However, when criminals (led by Vincent Cassel’s Frank) try to steal a painting by Goya that has just sold for $27 million, Simon ignores that rule, tries to be a hero, and loses part of his memory in the process. In the paper, he’s considered a “hero,” but the painting has gone missing.
The search for the painting, as well as Simon’s attempts to jog his memory, are the driving forces behind Danny Boyle’s new thriller. You see, it turns out that Simon, a gambler who had gotten in deep with the wrong people, was in on the heist, and even though he hands the package with the frame over to Frank, he had removed the canvas first, much to Frank’s displeasure. If it seems like I’m giving too much away, we actually learn all of this in the first 10-15 minutes. This all sets up the film’s most twist-inducing aspect, when Simon, under Frank’s orders, goes to a hypnotherapist (Elizabeth, played by Rosario Dawson in a great, Oscar-worthy performance) to try and remember. But right away, she sees that Simon may have gotten in too deep, and, well, that’s as far as my plot reveal will go.
From there, the film gets knottier than a pretzel, as paranoia, delusion, and sexual jealousy take over, and Simon gets increasingly uncertain about who he can trust. For much of the film, the screenplay is, simply, a sly riff on the heist genre, and even though it’s a successful one, it’s a little too convoluted to really resonate beyond the novelty of the story. However, the final third of the movie changes all that, as secrets are revealed, and romantic tragedy takes over in the most unnerving ways. From this point on, Boyle seems to be channeling Hitchcock, and three of his best films: “Vertigo,” “Rebecca,” and “Marnie.” While “Vertigo,” with its theme of romantic obsession laced with crime, is the obvious reference point, there are illusions to the similarly-themed “Rebecca” and “Marnie” that came to me as well as I was writing this review. To go into more depth would involve spoilers, and I’m definitely not going there, at least, any more than I have to.
I will say that Boyle has really developed into an exciting filmmaker. Of course, he’s been on the map for years since his 1996 film, “Trainspotting,” but the past decade has seen his star rise. From “28 Days Later” to “Millions” and the duel Oscar favorites, “Slumdog Millionaire” (which won him an Oscar) and “127 Hours,” Boyle hasn’t shied away from challenging himself in different genres and different environments. The results have shared similar stylistic traits while always focusing on character, and “Trance” is no different. In this film, he focuses on Simon, Frank, and Elizabeth, and the dynamics that develop between the three as they all are lured into finding out what happened to the painting. As I said, it’s a complicated mystery, but Boyle and his actors, by centering in on the emotional roller coaster, make it a thrilling, and heartbreaking, ride.
