Trance Page #3

Synopsis: A fine art auctioneer mixed up with a gang joins forces with a hypnotherapist to recover a lost painting. As boundaries between desire, reality and hypnotic suggestion begin to blur the stakes rise faster than anyone could have anticipated.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Director(s): Danny Boyle
Production: 20th Century Fox
  3 wins & 3 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.9
Metacritic:
61
Rotten Tomatoes:
68%
R
Year:
2013
101 min
$4,856,227
Website
1,036 Views


This f***ing painting.

Are you a gambling man, Simon?

Because I'll wager you,

anything you care to name...

...that I can flog this in the

autumn sale for over 25 million.

Sterling.

And I know it sounds

ridiculous, an inside job,

but it just seemed

like the answer.

I didn't know any criminals so I

thought Riz might. He brought me here.

He introduced me to Franck.

Franck cleared my debt

in return for the painting.

I owe him a lot of money.

And I don't know

what I'm going to do.

He's afraid that once

he's remembered, you'll kill him.

- That's ridiculous.

- Is it?

Let's talk about killing. Have

you ever killed anyone, Dominic?

No.

Well, yeah, in Iraq.

Loads, obviously.

But that's artillery,

isn't it?

You never get to see

exactly who you've...

Nate.

Killed anyone?

Define 'killed'.

That's

exactly why he won't open up.

His behavior isn't dysfunctional,

it's entirely logical.

It's straightforward

self-preservation.

Why do you think he cheated

you in the first place?

So what do you suggest?

How do we make him

feel more secure?

In an ideal world

he'd kill you all.

That would do it, right?

Ideal.

Most likely.

Okay. But supposing, for the sake

of argument, we don't go for that.

Then what?

He needs to see you

weak and exposed

to whatever it is

you fear the most.

Nonsense.

Not gonna happen.

He needs to know

that you're vulnerable.

If you're suggesting what I think...

I'm a professional.

I'm not going to

put you on the stage.

The answer is definitely 'no'.

Now the next voice

you hear-- will be Simon's.

And he is going to say the word

that I have prepared for you.

And when he

speaks that word...

...you will descend into your

very own world of fear...

...from which only

he can bring you back.

Strawberry.

Simon.

Simon, say it!

Strawberry.

That was incredible.

Are you all right?

Yeah. Why?

He doesn't know.

Oh, I'm sorry, man.

Shall I

scrub your back?

How did you...?

Well, I used to...

...I used to, you know...

So...

...we got enough, I think,

to make our boy feel secure.

Safe to remember, all that.

I think so.

Now we progress.

I like that, it's good.

Soon we'll have the painting.

And what about

poor old Nate?

Does he still fall to pieces at

every mention of the little berry?

No. Sustained post hypnotic

suggestion is more difficult.

More difficult,

but you can do it, right?

Not to everyone, of course.

5%? Correct me if I'm wrong.

5% of the population?

Yes. Can be described

as extremely suggestible.

Wow, 5%.

Who'd have thought?

And what can you make them do?

Well, I'm just asking.

I'm interested.

All right.

Well, let's see, if you

had the right person...

...if you get a hold

of them, dig right in...

...if you get them

under your spell...

...if you work hard

--and take your time...

...and do it right...

...you can make

them want to do...

...almost...

...anything.

There you are...

...in an open-top car...

...driving through the French countryside

with a beautiful young woman.

And the radio plays

some forgotten song...

...and the sun burns the back of

your heads in the warm wind...

...and with

every mile you travel...

...all your problems seem so

far away and so long ago.

And soon a field of sunflowers

gives way to a low building...

...of stone and tile.

The girl's dress,

her calves...

...leads you through a corridor

to a vast room of paintings.

Caravaggio's 'Adoration'.

Cezanne.

Vermeer's 'Concert'.

Van Gogh.

Modigliani.

Manet. Degas.

And Rembrandt himself.

'The Storm On

The Sea Of Galilee'.

These are

the lost paintings...

...all the stolen and

destroyed, but now together...

...authenticated, safe.

She takes your hand and leads

you into a final room.

And it's in here...

...in this

magical safe place...

...that you feel ready.

And you reach

into the package...

...and you lift

out your memory.

The memory of what happened that day.

The memory of what you did.

And now...

...safe and relaxed...

...you decide to watch.

You decide to remember.

...fifty thousand pounds.

Sold to paddle 88.

I remember that day.

I remember.

I take the painting.

I carry it in front of me.

And I cut the canvas free with

a razor blade.

I conceal the painting.

I carry on.

Remember...

...no piece of art is worth a human life.

Sound advice that.

And I try to remember it.

You see if you can.

I discard the razor blade.

We are to take the most

valuable item, or items,

to a place of safe...

Franck?!

Stay back.

Put it down.

Simon...

He's about to look.

I can't let him.

Don't.

From a safe distance...

...you see that

you have been hit.

Simon?!

Simon!

But you continue to watch.

You continue to remember.

I still have it.

I wake up and I still

have the painting.

I get up and I go outside.

There's a noise.

I have to walk away. I cannot stay

here, not with this painting.

I feel my heart vibrating.

My phone vibrating.

I look at it.

The car nearly kills me.

She's in the car.

Who is?

You are!

Oh my God.

Are you all right?

Elizabeth?

I'm not Elizabeth.

Shall I call an ambulance?

I remember.

I remember everything.

Look, why don't I

take you to hospital?

Yeah.

Elizabeth?

Shall I help you with your seat belt?

Why did you lie to me?

What?

You made me forget.

He's got it on him.

Look, he's got it on him.

Okay, maybe I oughta just--

call for that ambulance.

Open your jacket. Who called you?

I'm sorry. Will you

let me go, please?

Tell him

where you left it!

I don't

want you to go.

Never mind her!

Forget about her!

Open his jacket!

What are you gonna do

with the f***ing painting?!

Just get him to tell us

where he put it.

Tell us where you left it!

Simon,

can you hear me?

Yes, I can hear you.

Good.

Can you see the blue screen?

Yes.

I'm going to

show you some images...

...while we scan the response

generated in your brain by each one.

The images will continue to

run but you can override that

by thinking

of a particular one.

And every 10 seconds

the least chosen image

will be discarded until

there is only one left.

However, every time

you think of this one...

...you will receive

an electric shock.

And the more you select it

the higher the voltage.

Do you understand?

Yeah.

Hello.

I slept on the sofa.

I was worried about you.

I had this dream.

Wasn't a dream.

I am so...

...so, so sorry.

What is

a person, Franck?

Not my line of work.

It's fine.

Being obsessed with someone is fine?

No.

But to have feelings...

...yes.

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.

Soto be yourself you have to

constantly remember yourself.

It's a full-time job

but that's how it works.

When you hit him on

the head you broke the thread.

He's fixing it...

...with false memories,

with fantasies.

There's a space to fill so...

...he fills it with me.

Rate this script:5.0 / 2 votes

Joe Ahearne

Joe Ahearne is a British television writer and director, best known for his work on several fantasy and science fiction based programmes including Ultraviolet, Apparitions and Doctor Who. He also wrote the screenplay for 2013 feature film Trance. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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