Danny Boyle's films have always been characterized for their challenging nature and visual flair, but his last two works "127 Hours," and "Slumdog Millionaire" were considerably tame compared to other pieces in his oeuvre. However, his latest work "Trance" promises to return Boyle to the stylish exuberance that launched his career.
Simon (James McAvoy), an art auctioneer, helps a gang steel the painting of Goya's "Witches in the Air." During the escape, Simon attempts to stop gang leader Franck (Vincent Cassel) and wounds up getting knocked out. When he awakens from a coma, Simon is captured by the gang and tortured until he reveals where he hid the painting. However, Simon is suffering from amnesia and cannot remember. In order to extract the memory, Franck hires hypnotist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to help in the search. From here, the film takes a number of unexpected twists and turns that will test the audience's ability to differentiate between what is real and what isn't.
Audiences expecting to walk away with complete understanding of what happens during the course of roughly 100 minutes will not be fulfilled. Even though "Trance" starts off like a Hitchcock thriller with a seemingly straight forward plot, it eventually evolves into a highly intrinsic examination of the subconscious that will often jolt the viewer into questioning what is exactly going on (or if it is even happening). From a visual standpoint the film follows a similar path. The opening heist of the film takes place in an austere art gallery; there is little surprising here from an aesthetic standpoint. Boyle does include some moments of good humor (one of the gang members parks a miniature pink vehicle in front of the back door of a truck loaded with military personnel), but it's an adrenaline rush similar to other climactic moments in Boyle's works. However, as the narrative twists and turns, the locations evolve from bland, rigid locales to ones filled with interminable mirrors and endless variation of color. The scenes, which mostly take place in daylight early in the film with low key lightning, become rare as Simon's mind becomes more erratic and high contrast night scenes take over the majority of screen time. Canted angles are hinted at a few times early on, but become more and more omnipresent as well. The sound track, pushed to fever pitch in action sequences, threatens to shatter ear drums as the violence crescendos.
That's not to say that none of this is in good taste; as usual Boyle's stylistic choices match the arc of his story and characters. Simon starts off trying to be the hero, but slowly degenerates as he develops a violent obsession for Elizabeth. During the opening narration, during which Simon tells the audience about how to react during attempted robberies in galleries, Boyle constantly cuts to a close-up of Simon staring at the camera. There is a calm, collected manner in his stare, but it's a hint of where the viewer should be looking throughout the film; repressed hysteria waiting to blow up slowly inhabits his eyes. The evolution is also present in McAvoy's physical presence. While McAvoy will walk and move with timidity in the early going, his composure and potency will also grow as the film progresses.
It makes for an interesting contrast with Cassel's Franck who arguably moves in the opposite direction. Cassel starts the film with imposing presence and a perilous glare. However, as Simon grows in strength, Franck's character takes on a more romantic aura. During a love scene with Elizabeth, he caresses her and listens attentively as she reveals the misfortunes of her past love. Vulnerability slowly pervades the character in a manner that questions the audience's partiality toward Simon and slowly alters its perception of good and evil that seems so clear in the early going.
Even though the two male leads give towering performances, it is Rosario Dawson that steals the show as the "Femme Fatale" Elizabeth. While the two men express their emotions quite openly, Elizabeth remains composed and in control through the film. Her face maintains a coolness that is both alluring and frightening and her suggestiveness seduces the viewer. It's a constant guessing game with her thoughts, but it is one that the viewer is more than happy to return to. Dawson gives both men (and the viewer) the anticipated payoff when she strips completely naked in one of the most intense scenes in the film. Elizabeth controls the narrative, but as she loses control of its thread, the film's characters and world also come crashing down.
The film is sure not to please all as its frantic pace and tantalizing structure is sure to confuse and bewilder many viewers. While there is an ever-present sense of discovery throughout, the biggest disappointment in the picture comes in its final act when the anticipation of a new twist only confirms a suspicion that viewer has had for most of the running time. More importantly, that climactic revelation reverts to a clichéd past trauma that, while expected, seems to be a safe route for the story given the director and the overall wildness of the film.
Those expecting a non-stop, in-your-face thriller will be pleased by the ride, but could leave the theater questioning what the whole point of it was. For those with more patience, the film will surely require multiple viewing to explore its endless secrets.
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