Trance
Mind-bending thriller is excessive and violent but artful.
Trance
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Trance is, like director Danny Boyle's earlier films Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, not for younger viewers. Although it has drawn comparisons to Inception and Memento, this thriller has more sex (including sexual full-frontal nudity) and grisly violence (torture, heads blown up, an innocent person killed) than either of those films. The language is standard for an R-rated movie ("f--k," "s--t," "assh--e"), but it's the frank sex scenes and the cringe-inducing violence (which also includes domestic abuse) throughout that makes this one for very mature teens and adults only.
Community Reviews
17 and up.
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What's the Story?
Simon (James McAvoy) is the second in command at a posh London auction house that's selling Goya's "Witches in the Air," which is worth 25 million pounds. With gambling debts to repay, Simon collaborates with a small clique of thieves led by French gangster Franck (Vincent Cassel) to steal the precious painting. But blunt trauma from the heist leaves Simon without any memory of where he stashed the painting (Franck realizes all he stole was a frame and nothing more). Desperate for answers, Franck demands that Simon see a hypnotherapist, Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson). During their sessions, Elizabeth figures out there's something more going on, and she soon becomes a partner in the enterprise to unlock Simon's memory and find the Goya. The problem is, the more Simon is under the influence of hypnotherapy, the more he becomes obsessed with Elizabeth -- and the less he can distinguish the truth from his trance.
Is It Any Good?
TRANCE isn't for the faint of heart or those who are disturbed by graphic violence and sex, but fans of Boyle's grittier work will feel right at home with the twisty thriller. After the introspective, one-man show that was 127 Hours, director Danny Boyle returns to his love of artfully crafted, dizzyingly edited stories with enough twists to figuratively make an audience's heads explode. This is part art-heist flick like The Thomas Crown Affair, part mind-bending thriller like Inception or Memento, and part good, old-fashioned revenge story. Some of the plot developments will be too much and are bound to divide viewers between those who find them exciting and those who find them ridiculously excessive (like a pivotal conversation about the inclusion of pubic hair in religious art).
Somehow Boyle makes most of it work, in good part because of McAvoy's boyish but fierce charm, the pulsing techno score (from Rick Smith of Underworld), and the fabulous visuals (which contain clever clues about when a trance is taking place). At first Dawson seems miscast in the role of the hypnotherapist, but she manages to take control (in more ways than one) of her central part in a surprising way.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Trance's use of violence. When was it stylized, and when was it realistic? Could you tell the difference between the hypnosis-induced violence and the "real" violence?
Were the plot twists and the hypnosis theme confusing for you as a viewer, or did they add to the excitement? Which moments surprised you the most?
This is the kind of movie where a spoiler could ruin your experience as a viewer. How do you handle talking about movies with big twists?
Movie Details
- In theaters: April 5, 2013
- On DVD or streaming: July 23, 2013
- Cast: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel
- Director: Danny Boyle
- Studio: Fox Searchlight
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 104 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: sexual content, graphic nudity, violence, some grisly images, and language
- Last updated: November 23, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
Inception
Intense, complex, brilliant sci-fi thriller; violent scenes.
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Memento
Innovative thriller has a mature premise, edgy content.
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The Usual Suspects
Profane, violent crime thriller has novel twists.
For kids who love thrills
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