Trance by Danny Boyle
I hate this movie so much. More than I even hate bad movies, because they identify themselves right from the get go and I can turn them off.
No, this movie is visually appealing and has some stunning direction in it.
Like you would expect from a Boyle film, the color palette is expertly chosen and the camera finds wonderfully upsetting angles, so that the pictures alone string you along, begging you to keep watching.
But, should you read this and you haven't yet seen the movie, don't.
Burn it with fire!
You will see the ending coming from a mile away, but it still won't fit, since Boyle is not upstanding enough to put in sufficient hints.
The resulting paranoia about what the ending might actually be, will carry you to the end of the film, but that won't be satisfying. No, it will just be stupid and abuse the main mechanic of the film (hypnosis), which was stated as being frail, but somehow is all powerful and can even influence fate itself. The explanation at the end of the film will simply come across as sounding ridiculous.
Also the dream/trance/hypnosis sequences are not sufficiently differentiated from real ones and Boyle thinks, that he can get away with huge plot holes this way, which are explained away by the magic of hypnosis. He manufactures cheap thrills within the dream sequences, which should also be rejected as these are simply there to distract the viewer from the horrible story.
So do not watch the movie, it will just make you angry.
Watch Side Effects!
That's a good movie about the human mind.
Or better yet, read the Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson!
