Trance

Okay, it's true that this movie is very convoluted and that I wanted to see it mainly because Rosario Dawson is in it and she really shows a lot. A gorgeous woman. "Trans" is cluttered and something could be cut out, but the rules are clearly set and the truth can be anywhere. It's up to you whether you accept the message of the film or not. And I accept it, especially when the actors are this great. Danny Boyle is once again very brave. (23/10/2013)

Knock! Knock! Knock! A cute crime movie, cut precisely to suit today’s fashion. It’s just that hypnosis isn’t so central as PR tried to imply and the painting isn’t absolutely what this is about. Sanity, lies, anger, love and hate. Boyle mixed this cocktail following his own traditional recipe and his signature is apparent in almost every shot (the beaker thrown at the camera), maybe the trailers gave away too much. Cassel excellent, Rosario Dawson super smooth and McAvoy masterfully swaps roles and is the inconspicuous puppet master of the entire Trance. Delightful and not completely stupid. Rick Smith supervised the creation of the first-rate music. (14/07/2013)

“What we are is the sum of everything we've ever said, done and felt all wrapped up in one unique thread, which is constantly being revised and remembered. To be yourself, you have to constantly remember yourself.” Trance is a sophisticated game with the audience that doesn’t make much sense (it has put too much on its shoulders), but is unpredictable from start to finish and damn entertaining, mysterious and sexy. Danny Boyle is having fun here with a kaleidoscopically varied perception of events and confused character motivations, and reveals his weakness for Brian De Palma’s fast-paced thrillers. (28/10/2014)

Boyle is similar to Nolan and Tarantino in that every film is original, yet he still maintains some of his traditional directing finesse. He attacks the audience with opulent minimalist visuals as well as dense psychology. Trance has excellent visual aesthetics, light manipulation, and a contemporary feeling. It captivates with a strong screenplay and the fact that despite the several script spirals and twists towards the end, the film never gets tangled. The plot is clear, well-explained, and makes perfect sense. At the same time, the theme of hypnosis is presented complex enough to fascinate and immerse the viewer, but also concisely enough to not bore someone who doesn't understand it and won’t make any sense to a layman. (19/01/2014)

Danny Boyle is simply awesome. Trance is not his best movie, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is able to film literally anything. He had fun with the camera in a drug lair, in an Indian slum, near the Sun, with millions in his suitcase or he sweated for 127 hours in the mountains and this time for a change hypnosis plays a major role, and we see an entanglement of the whole story with the aim of preparing a shocking finale. And he succeeded. The movie may be a little too dynamic and a bit complicated, but that’s simply Boyle and that’s why I like him so much. The whole movie really has guts and every five minutes there is something happening that turns the story upside down. If you can accept that, you will be satisfied. (16/10/2013)