Danny Boyle
Trance

In this latest work by Boyle, we find Vincent Cassel once again taking on the role of a criminal. In this case, his hunting ground will be pieces of art, like Goya's Witches in the Air, a painting of the highest value. However, some gears within the plan will reveal themselves to be shaky, so much so that the object will not end up in his hands, and the only physical traces to reach the masterpiece will be muddled with the amnesia in the last person who had it and hid it: his own accomplice Simon.

Boyle, let us remember, has made good films in the past, such as the widely overrated Slumdog Millionaire, which is far from his style. In this film, one might have expected a return to form given the situation is not without dark humor, to which the cast faithfully adheres. Including Rosario Dawson, in the (overly claustrophobic) role of a psychiatrist who, through hypnosis, may bring back from Simon's subconscious his last actions before the amnesia. The psychiatrist thus joins the gang, but we do not know with what real intent.

These are the premises, which unravel into a dynamic that is anything but gripping. And although the direction cannot be spoken of in less than favorable terms, interest soon wanes along with the unfolding of shadows of Tarantino-esque morbidity, and the decision to insert short films within the film itself, to depict situations that prompt the patient to remember, or clarify the dynamics of the characters involved, all orchestrated by the doctor herself. It feels like facing a watered-down adaptation of a Kundera story, but with very simplistic psychology, which also makes me think, there's no hiding it, of ‘In Treatment’ by Maurizio Costanzo's son and acted by Sergio Castellitto. Of course, it ends abruptly, or rather, in a trance, only to revive shortly after thanks to Rosario's frontal nudity advancing towards Simon, preceded by her silicone breasts, with a track by Moby in the background—which would leave much to be said on the sound front as well. But why insist? In the end, I didn't buy the ticket, as I did for the not much better Elysium. I close the streaming window, trying to remove the disappointment for this fake Danny Boyle, hoping that the real one will emerge soon.