Yegoryan 1English 102/103

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Critical Thinking and Analysis of the Movie Trance

Briefly answer to the following questions presenting your interpretation, analysis, and logical guess regarding the movie events and the main characters.

1. Why did Simon steal the painting? (Think also why did he hide it from Frank? Was he planning to keep it for himself?)

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2. Who was Elizabeth for Simon? (A mediator to help him? A lover? Your version?) Why do you think so?

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3. Consider the two artwork by Francisco José de Goya used in the movie:“The Nude Maya” and “The Witches in the Air.”

Analyze the role of the 2 famous paintings:

a) Facts: How are these two paintings introduced in the movie? What do we know from what we see in the movie?

b) Critical Thinking: What is meaning/role/connection of theses paintings to the characters and/or to the plot of the movie?

*Consider your knowledge of Semiotics (titles of the artwork, signification of words/names of the movie characters, etc.), Close Reading of Visuals (decoding the

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Yegoryan 2English 102/103

details), and Ideologies (of power, gender, religion/biblical references in any, time/politics/rules/ moral codes of the time the paintings were produced and the movie was created).

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4. Now think about the movie from Freudian and Lacanian’s perspectives. Consider some of their theoretical terms: self-identification through the other, longing for self-wholeness, the birth of the ego, ego-id- superego, uncanny, condensation, memory, dream, displacement, etc. You may use Lacan’s and Freud’s handouts from the course web/PowerPoint section) to help you analyze any of the movie’s character, a scene, or the overall theme of the movie Trance using ONE of the above bolded terms.

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Yegoryan 3English 102/103

5. Think about these 4 forces that influence human thinking and behavior: FEAR, HOPE, DESIRE (greed, obsession) and ENVY. Consider the 3 main characters of the movie: Simon, Elizabeth, and Frank and their relations to each other.

Who is experiencing which of the force(s), and who is using which force(s) to manipulate others ? Write your notes next to each name and briefly explain why you think so.

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Elizabeth:

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Simon:

6. Additional Comments/ Interesting Insights about the Movie:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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