“Do you want to remember? Or, do you want to forget?”
I penned the original review a decade ago and as an “instant reaction” piece inside the much larger opus career article on the films of Danny Boyle linked below. Of the 12 films (Shallow Grave in 1994 through to T2 Trainspotting in 2017), Trance sits 7th in this beautiful cinematic dozen but I have rather a sweet spot for the beautiful Rosario Dawson as well as a deep appreciation for the film in which she stars. In this upside down world of ours I’ll probably be viewed as being somewhat of a sexist for professing my admiration for the enchanting beauty of Rosario Dawson, but we’re all in a trance you see, and nothing, nothing is quite what it seems.
I hope you enjoy!
Danny Boyle — 12 Cinematic Gems
Trainspotting to Trainspotting and ten more gems all lovingly appreciated and spoiler free from inside a shallow grave.medium.com
“Do you want to remember? Or, do you want to forget?”
What struck me immediately on seeing Danny Boyle’s 10th film to date is that it’s very much a film of the new decade and reflective of the 21st Century. Trance is visually and aurally slick, glossy and frenetically edited which propels an intriguing tale through it’s 101 minute running time that is always engaging and intriguing it’s audience. And lest we forget a plot twist that is almost, almost, on a par with Boyle’s first film Shallow Grave and that is very high praise indeed. Trance is visually stunning at times and combines many Danny Boyle touchstones that have made him one of Hollywood’s most sought after directors: multi layered and engaging characters, an intriguing psychological thriller narrative that twists back and forth but never loses it’s audience, a modern and upbeat soundtrack, a sprinkling of dark humour and a narration from the film’s main character that almost implores you to look closer, deeper and far beyond what is presented on the surface.
“Simon” (James McAvoy) is a young art auctioneer who is professional and diligent yet deeply in debt, principally to “Franck” (Vincent Cassel) who in the film’s opening scene cashes in that debt by stealing Goya’s “Witches in the Air”. Franck is aided by fellow criminals “Nate” (Danny Sapani), “Dominic” (Matt Cross) and “Riz” (Wahab Sheikh). Their job is complete and Simon’s debt is paid. Or is it? Again, the film’s opening narration with it’s telling statement “No piece of art is worth a human life” and it’s clever use of “To Camera” narration from Simon (including him simply staring silently straight at the camera or with a half smile) challenges the audience to think again and to look much, much closer.
With a cast of only 16 main characters and many of these purely incidental sideshows to assist the narrative, it falls to McAvoy (Welcome to the Punch and 2014’s Filth) and Cassel (A Dangerous Method and the excellent Black Swan) to nominally headline the film but it’s the next ex Mrs Stephen Blackford who is the film’s true star. Rosario Dawson casts a spell on me in every film she appears, from 2002’s Spike Lee directed classic 25th Hour, both Sin City comic book noir thrillers, Kevin Smith’s excellent sequel to Clerks and Quentin Tarantino’s 2007 homage to Grindhouse Cinema, Death Proof. Here she portrays “Elizabeth” a Harley Street hypnotist charged by the nefarious criminal gang with locating a stolen artefact and takes both a top heavy male only cast and an already twisted narrative to twist both still further in a sublime performance.
Joe Ahearne wrote the original story as well as collaborating with Danny Boyle stalwart John Hodge with the screenplay and both produced an intriguing psychological thriller with numerous narrative twists before the film’s enjoyable, but somewhat frustrating denouement. The joy of the film’s constantly contorting narrative are the questions it poses to the audience: is this today? Is this a fractured dream? Is this a flashback? What the hell is transference?! Let alone the obvious question of what is actually true and can be taken as such? On the surface at least the narrative appears to be linear but it’s nothing of the sort as Boyle cleverly blends these flashbacks to present day and back again, disorientating the audience still further by occasionally infusing the storyline with sublime surrealistic touches by mixing every narrative strand together, as well as a constantly slow moving camera that segues between the time narratives.
Editor Jon Harris deserves great credit here. Another joy is putting together the pieces of the puzzle as the clues are unravelled, as is the appreciation of the crisp, glossy visuals and numerous reflections which bathe the film at times and all under the watchful eye of regular Director of Photography Anthony Dod Mantle. Rick Smith produces a pulsing beat of a soundtrack with very little in the way of Danny Boyle’s traditional use of singular songs, tracks from M People and Moby aside. But all of these elements are blended together in yet another hallmark Danny Boyle film that has the faintest of echoes with his debut film 20 years ago.
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 180 blog articles (with 350+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
“The Man Who Wasn’t There” (2001)
My Coen Brothers Top Ten — Vol 8.medium.com
“V for Vendetta” (2005)
A cinematic debut for the ages from James McTeigue.medium.com
“Miller’s Crossing” (1990)
My Coen Brothers Top Ten — Vol 7.medium.com