Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- psychedelic
- disturbing
- hysterical
- arthouse cinema night
- malayalam film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s bold audiovisual style, sound design, cinematography, and Fahadh Faasil’s commanding performance, while noting that its second half loses some of the first half’s force.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Viju’s mental state shapes the film’s abstract narrative structure and part-dream, part-nightmare presentation.
A corporate recruits Viju to perform as a preacher and turns religious messaging into a televised service.
Critics specifically praise the vivid color palette, lighting, sound design, cinematography, and flamboyant audiovisual style.
Viju Prasad is transformed into Pastor Joshua Carlton as a corporate religious enterprise expands around him.
Films like Trance, and why
The King of Comedy
psychological disintegration, charismatic performance, and unsettling social critique
A Cure for Wellness
psychedelic visual design, unstable identity, and a reality-bending psychological atmosphere
There Will Be Blood
religious manipulation, institutional power, and mounting psychological unease
Joker
stylized descent into public performance, celebrity, and mental instability
Movie Details
- Director
- Anwar Rasheed
- Release Date
- 2020-02-20
- Runtime
- 170 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (65)
Cast
- Fahadh Faasil
- Nazriya Nazim
- Dileesh Pothan
- Gautham Vasudev Menon
- Chemban Vinod Jose
- Vinayakan
- Soubin Shahir
- Sreenath Bhasi
- Jinu Joseph
- Srindaa
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, aha, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Trance about?
- A troubled motivational speaker is remade into a televised preacher, only to find corporate faith and personal identity spiraling into psychological chaos.
- What is Trance like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Trance as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Trance violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Trance as mild.
- What did critics think of Trance?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s bold audiovisual style, sound design, cinematography, and Fahadh Faasil’s commanding performance, while noting that its second half loses some of the first half’s force.
- Which films are like Trance?
- Films with a similar feel include The King of Comedy, A Cure for Wellness, There Will Be Blood, and Joker.
- How long is Trance?
- Trance runs 170 minutes.
- Where can I watch Trance?
- In United States, Trance streams on Amazon Prime Video, aha, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
