When Trance was released it was refreshing breath of cinematic air that made me happy to know there were still filmmakers out there bringing original and different ideas to the table. This week, Danny Boyle’s latest film hit the Blu-ray and DVD shelves and so I thought I would revisit the film, posting my original review below while also going into some detail about the Blu-ray disc itself.
Danny Boyle always manages to surprise me with his diverse slate of film. Always stunning to watch, the champion of lighting and mood, and usually cool stories, goes back to his roots with his latest film, Trance, an exhilarating heist picture about the exploration of the human mind.
Trance follows Simon (James McAvoy), an art auctioneer who teams up with a group of criminals to steal Francisco Goya’s painting, Witches in the Air, worth millions but during the heist he gets hit in the head and can’t remember where he hid the painting. When gang leader Frank (Vincent Cassel) can’t seem to pry the information from Simon using his traditional means of torture, the two seek out a hypnotherapist named Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) to crack Smion’s psyche open and navigate his fractured subconscious in order to help him remember where he hid the valuable painting.
Trance isn’t just a movie about trying to remember something, it’s about exploring the human mind, how it can shut itself down and how treacherous it can be when secrets that have been stored away have suddenly been unlocked. It’s a brilliant film that blurs the line between reality and fiction, making it difficult to figure out who is deceiving who, who holds what secrets, who actually holds the power, which reality we are in and what everyone’s endgame really is.
There is a lot to take in throughout the film, certain things happen and you don’t know why or certain items represent something and you’re not sure what. I could go into detail about everything that unfolds throughout the film but then my ideas would be implanted in your head and it wouldn’t help you come up with your own theories. If I was writing this article a year from now I would divulge everything because, like Inception, this will be a really fun movie to talk about after the fact and I want you all to have that opportunity to do that before I spoil everything for you.
Amongst the terrific acting by the reputable cast, Boyle is able to tell a very compelling story in such a beautiful, yet intense way that makes it very clear that this is a Boyle film. Furthermore, Rick Smith’s Score is outstanding and I don’t think a better score could have accompanied the film, elevating what was already a cool film to greater heights. Like the title, much of the music sounds like trance tunes, very hypnotic, very subtle, and can easily penetrate your mind, keeping you at ease during the calming scenes and getting your heart racing when things get intense.
Besides all the mind games, the twists and the turns, the other surprising shock was getting a dose of full frontal nudity from Rosario Dawson (she looks good by the way). When she comes out naked during one scene you don’t expect the camera to keep panning up her nude legs at such a close range, making you feel like you’re the one looking her up and down from only three feet away. There is a purpose to this boldness but, as I said i n he beginning, I don’t’ want to expose what everything signifies because that’ll take all of the fun away from your first screening.
The film opens with a monologue from McAvoy followed by a heart pounding art heist that sets up the film’s story.
It’s the bang audiences love and need when a director wants to get them completely engrossed from the-go and Boyle succeeds easily. Much like the opening, the ending is just as explosive but rather than start with a monologue, it ends with a fun one that’ll leave the you with a funny smirk.
Trace is awesome movie, plain and simple. I walked out feeling fantastic, completely satisfied with what Danny Boyle delivered. I walked in expecting my mind to melt from the labyrinth of potential confusion the premise conveyed but, in actuality, the film is pretty easy to to follow it’s just as the film progresses and the layers unfold, you realize how much more complex everything truly is. It isn’t really until 75% of the way in when it starts getting truly complicated, part of this is due to the way the film is edited together and part of it is a result of the story itself. Either way, it’s a clever and smart film that you’ll want to watch again immediately after and then proceed to discuss the story with whoever has seen it.
The Trance Blu-ray looks and sounds great, it’s the way most movies should look when displayed in this format, clear and audible. As with any Blu-ray there are a bunch of special features that complement the film. Below is a breakdown of what is on the disc:
● Deleted Scenes (16:33) – There are seven deleted scenes on the disc (Stolen paintings; Chip Shop Boy in Red Vest; I Still have it; It wasn’t a dream; I’m bad you know; Tell me now). All of them are pretty short and don’t add much value to the film. In fact, they are simply extensions of prior scenes with maybe one that wasn’t.
● The Power of Suggestion-Making Trance (33:59) – This “making of” featurette is broken into four parts: Danny’s Film Noir; Hypnotherapy; The Look; The Final Rewrite. The four sections are basically self-explanatory but it is an excellent featurette that I recommend watching as it gives us some solid insights into the noir aspect of the storytelling, understanding hypnotherapy and the premise for the feature, how he went about editing the film and what he did to make it’s visuals unique.
● Danny Boyle Retrospective (14:56) – This is a breakdown of all of Danny Boyle’s films by the man himself. He discusses a bit about each film while also gives his personal thoughts on filmmaking in general, what it can accomplish, and what it’s like working with Fox Searchlight who has been his longtime partner.
● Short Film: EUGENE by Spencer Susser – (13:07) – This is an awesome little short about an unassuming, lonely man named Eugene who has a nice guy stalker vibe with the appearance of Zach Galifianakis’ character Alan from The Hangover. After checking into a hotel, getting a free upgrade and then feeling lonely, he gets a knock on his door and find a box with a laptop inside. The laptop is basically a magic lamp and allows him to make wishes which come true before his very eyes but eventually disaster strikes in a depressing and the comical way. Oh, and this has absolutely nothing to do with Trance.
● Theatrical Trailer (1:22)
● UV Copy for digital viewing
Movie Rating: You’ll fall under Boyle’s Trance in this clever, deceptive and brilliantly made film (8/10)
Blu-ray rating: Good quality but a little light on the features. Surprisingly there is no commentary (6/10)
Trance is now available in various formats from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
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