Trance, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) and co-written by Oscar-nominated long term collaborator John Hodge (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting) is a seductive and enigmatic thriller starring James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson.
Fine art auctioneer Simon (James McAvoy), in league with a gang led by underworld boss Franck (Vincent Cassel), plots the audacious theft of a masterpiece by Goya from a major public auction. When Simon double-crosses the gang during the robbery, Franck retaliates violently and knocks him unconscious.
In the aftermath of the heist, Simon sticks stubbornly – and perhaps shrewdly – to his claim that the violent trauma has left him with no memory of where he stashed the artwork. Unable to coerce the painting’s location from Simon, Franck and his associates reluctantly join forces with a charismatic hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) in a bid to get him to talk. But as they journey deeper into Simon’s jumbled psyche the boundaries between reality and hypnotic suggestion begin to blur and the stakes rise faster and far more dangerously than any of the players could have anticipated.
Trance is a British psychological thriller film directed by Danny Boyle with a screenplay by Joe Ahearne and John Hodge from a story by Ahearne. The film stars James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, and Rosario Dawson. The world premiere of the film was held in London on 19 March 2013.
After director Danny Boyle filmed Shallow Grave in 1994, Joe Ahearne sent the director his screenplay for Trance, seeking Boyle’s encouragement. Boyle thought that the project would be “quite difficult” for a beginning screenwriter. Ahearne later turned the script into a 2001 television movie.
Boyle never forgot it, and almost two decades after their original conversation he contacted Ahearne about turning it into a feature film. Partially based on Ahearne’s 2001 British television film of the same name, Trance underwent script doctoring by screenwriter John Hodge – marking the fifth motion picture collaboration between Hodge and Boyle.
Principal photography began in September 2011. After filming wrapped up, the film was placed on hold in order for Boyle to work on the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Post-production was then picked up again in August 2012. Boyle said that this is “the first time I put a woman at the heart of a movie.” He also said that he originally intended to set the movie in New York City, but it was filmed in London and in Kent instead, as Boyle’s Olympic ceremony duties meant he had to stay in the UK.
Trance (2013)
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel, Danny Sapani, Matt Cross, Tuppence Middleton
Screenplay by: John Hodge
Production Design by: Mark Tildesley
Cinematography by: Anthony Dod Mantle
Film Editing by: Jon Harris
Costume Design by: Suttirat Anne Larlarb
Set Decoration by: Dominic Capon
Music by: Rick Smith
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence, some grisly images, and language.
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: April 5, 2013
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