Trance

From acclaimed, Academy-Award winning director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) comes a hyper-stylised, frantic, twist-filled action thriller set within the worlds that hypnotism can create in the minds of an individual.

James McAvoy stars as Simon, an art auctioneer who rather recklessly becomes involved with a group of dangerous criminals, whose main field of expertise is art thieving. Simon aides the group in planning a heist of a Goya painting worth £25,000,000 but on the night, after a quick smash and grab raid, the leader of the heist Franck (Vincent Cassel) only finds himself with an empty frame; Simon double-crossed him. However, during the scene of the crime, Simon received a rather nasty head injury that has left him with amnesia, therefore with no recollection of what he actually did with the painting. Desperate to discover its location, Franck sends Simon to Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson), a hypnotherapist. The two of them then embark on a twisted, surreal and darkly funny venture into Simon’s mind, as Elizabeth aims to discover the truth buried deep inside Simon’s sub-conscious.

As with any film directed by Boyle, you can expect a unique style and verve, a kinetic energy unlike any other. With sharp and visceral cinematography and a promised to be exceptional soundtrack, Trance is yet another twisted-genre picture triumph from Mr. Boyle. With the engaging cast of McAvoy, Cassel, and Dawson; the film offers you something rather pretty to look at, while delving in to a surreal world of the mind. Be prepared to be hypnotised.

Andrew Gaudion