Trance

Synopsis: Simon (James McAvoy) works for an auction house specialising in fine art. He teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth $27 million but after receiving a head blow during the heist cannot remember what he has done with the painting. Gang leader Franck (Vincent Cassel) tries all forms of torture to no avail then resorts to a hypnotherapist, Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson). As Elizabeth works with Simon secrets are revealed that blur the lines of truth, morality and memory.

Trance is the sort of film that messes with your head big time but in a good way. It is exciting, entertaining, baffling, and at times so convoluted that it almost defies comprehension. In some ways it reminded me of the complexities of such multi-layered films as Memento and Inception and, like them, it requires more than a single viewing to fully understand what is going on.  This is both a strength and weakness as Boyle weaves an audacious collection of thematic threads into a whole that is both mesmerising and confusing. Indeed I found myself wondering at times if the film, in which no-one and nothing is as it seems, is in fact a bit too smart for its own good.

The three leads are exceptionally strong and play well off each other. McAvoy, although an unlikely crook, gradually reveals his layers of unpleasantness whilst Cassel exudes his trademark combination of menace and charm. But it’s probably Dawson who will be best remembered and not just for her gob-smacking sex scenes. She invests her character with a mix of traits ranging from alluring to strong, vulnerable to manipulative and the potent centrality of a woman in what is so often a male domain makes for a refreshing change particularly when carried off with such ease.

There were moments towards the story’s denouement when I really wondered who was doing the dirty on who and there were some plot developments that I couldn’t quite grasp but despite this my attention never flagged. Probably this was due also to the stunning cinematography of Anthony Dod Mantle which dazzles with its distinctive colour palettes and striking compositions.

Boyle has a varied CV ranging from his break-out 1996 cult hit Trainspotting to the 2002 sci-fi horror flick 28 Days Later  to 2010’s very different 127 Hours. Whilst Trance is just as well directed as these films its content left me a little empty in terms of resonance with real life. Ultimately it is a slick and smart game that will entertain in the short term but probably be forgotten in time.

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