Trance tells the story of a fine art auctioneer named Simon
(James McAvoy) who gets caught up in a brazen heist. With the assistance of his
charming, Scottish voiceover, we’re shown the auction house’s detailed security
measures, then we witness a choreographed robbery, and Simon’s
subsequent head injury at the hands of one of the thieves. When the thieves discover they don’t actually
have the valuable painting they thought they'd stolen, they go after Simon, who is now suffering from
amnesia. To locate the missing painting, they enlist the
help of hypnotherapist, Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson). And this is when the real
fun begins, as there's a lot more than they bargained for locked up in Simon's injured brain. The movie becomes a big, tangled web of recalled memories and
post-hypnotic suggestion, which are often indecipherable from each other.
Okay, is this really happening? Or is he under hypnosis? Who
is actually recalling this memory? Who’s the real bad guy here? Wait, I’m perplexed. Whoa, Rosario Dawson is completely nude -- the girls got guts (and a rockin' bod)!
Working off the premise that seeing is not necessarily
believing, This twisty, turny little romp employs all the wit and cadence
and cool music that come standard in the artistic arsenal of director Danny Boyle to offset all the violence and confusion.
McAvoy is a delightful cross between Ewan McGregor and
Edward Norton, and Vincent Cassell, as the leader of the band of crooks, is a
charismatic scene-stealer. But, Dawson actually holds her own amidst a big cluster
of dudes. One minute a beguiling minx,
the next a terrified victim, she is an essential component in the unpredictability
of the movie.
Trance is a crisp, energetic, mind-trippy little caper. I’ve
never had so much fun being left a bit baffled and unsure if I actually reached the
correct conclusion in the end.
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