Trance: They’re messing with your head.
In Trance, the new film by Danny Boyle, thieves led by the scarily elegant Vincent Cassel arrive at an auction house to steal Goya’s Witches in the Air.
An employee of the auction house (the lovely James McAvoy) attempts to foil the robbery, but he gets conked on the head and loses all memory of the event.
But the thieves didn’t make off with the Goya. And McAvoy’s character wasn’t really trying to foil them. He’s the only guy who knows where the painting is, but he can’t remember the exact location. So he consults a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) to recover his memory. She puts him in a trance to help him clear up the muddle, and that’s when things get really confusing. Are we seeing his memories, or are those events that are actually unfolding, or are they the contents of his unconscious?
In short, Trance is a mindfuck, and it’s compelling as long as you don’t demand absolute clarity. Also, the soundtrack’s good. Recommended for viewers who like movies about art, heists, alternate realities and attractive people in states of undress. (We’re pleased that the MTRCB gave it an R-16 rating instead of demanding cuts.) Not recommended for viewers who need to know exactly what’s going on at all times.
This is the second art-centered movie we’ve seen this year; the first was Gambit, in which fuddy-duddy curator Colin Firth and cowgirl Cameron Diaz try to sell nudist jillionaire Alan Rickman a forged Monet. Written by the Coen Brothers, Gambit features characters so stupid, they trip themselves up at every turn. True, this is the plot of many movies directed by the Coens, but we believe those movies. Okay, most of them. Gambit is so implausible, it quickly becomes an exercise in eyeball-rolling. Alan Rickman is funny, though.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
May 7th, 2013 at 09:51
Gusto ng Trance! Vincent Cassel and James McAvoy! *gasp!* Kaya lang may Rosario Dawson na ang naaalala namin ay ang breast exposure sa Alexander.
Off topic. Napanood namin ang kagabi Karma ni Danny Zialcita na isinulat niyo dito. Napakahusay! Hindi kayang gumawa ng Star Cinema ng ganoong pelikula. Isa pa, wala pang mala-Chanda Romero mag-Ingles sa panahon ngayon.
May 7th, 2013 at 10:07
*Napanood namin kagabi ang…
May 7th, 2013 at 11:25
Hi. I like the movie. It improves on second viewing. There’s also a very interesting article about the replicas of the painting “Witches in the Air” that were used in the film.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323419104578376803303518838.html
May 7th, 2013 at 13:15
i’m pleased with the R16 rating also. my opus dei boss asked me, after i said i saw this movie, whether it was good. i said, “yes, but there’s nudity in it,” to let her know that she should not watch it. and she goes, “ay bakit pumasa sa censors?” i answered, “R16 naman eh,” but in my mind, i was like, “kasi, meron na tayong tinatawag na separation of church and state.”
May 7th, 2013 at 17:13
i saw the trailer of this movie when i went to the cinema to see “L’écume des jours” (with Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris). i’d like to see this movie, and also The Great Gatsby’s remake.
off topic question: have you ever read anything by Boris Vian? i find “L’écume des jours” (Foam of the Days) difficult to read in English. but my french is not really good enough yet for me to read the original version. what’s your take about this french author? any good book(s) from him that you can recommend?
May 7th, 2013 at 18:04
Multiple timelines and POVs are a tricky thing to pull off, especially if the characters are crazy / beautiful. Strangely enough, I found myself rooting for the 3 main characters (and the waiter).
May 7th, 2013 at 21:00
silentfollower: Hindi rin nila kaya ang Tagalog ni Chanda Romero.
Sa antique shop sa Greenhills.
Chanda (sosyalera): Isama mo na rin yang table na yan.
Ate Vi (shop owner): Ma’am, that’s ten thousand pesos.
Chanda: (in very bored voice): Tinanong ko ba?
May 8th, 2013 at 11:08
Oo nga anoh! Karamihan ng mga babaeng artista ngayon ay may boses na parang ginugupit na yero at accent na… ah… ewan.
May 9th, 2013 at 09:09
I thought yesterday was the best time to see this movie. Mindfuck and reprieve from the blackout only to find out it’s not showing anymore. It was replaced midday w/ the rom com Identity Thief – probably one of the movies with the most unimaginative posters. On a sadder note, Robinsons Galleria is still showing It Takes A Man and A Woman – one of those movies with the stupidest titles (would make sense if it were porn or a Discovery docu on making babies).