Trance (2020) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Trance is set in Angel City, the future name for Los Angeles, a neon-lit megacity governed by a shadowy regime that uses mind control to shape society. The story alternates between this 23rd-century dystopian setting and 1985 Los Angeles, with Angel City serving as the central hub for the time-crossing chase.

• angel city
• los angeles
• setting
• dystopia
• future city

Trance spans two time periods: the 23rd century and 1985. The narrative follows a retired police trooper from the future who hunts a powerful mastermind across these eras using experimental time-travel technology, including time vials and a slow-motion watch.

• time period
• 1985
• 23rd century
• timeline
• time travel

Angel City is the futuristic name for Los Angeles in the 23rd century, depicted as a neon-lit megacity where high-tech surveillance blends with urban grit. It is controlled by a shadowy regime that uses mind control to maintain power and hunt for individuals with special abilities.

• angel city
• future los angeles
• megacity
• dystopia

Trance explores three major themes: Time Travel, which drives the plot and creates tension across eras; Identity, as characters inhabit unfamiliar bodies and question what defines self; and Control, which examines mind-control as a weapon that erases individual will and autonomy.

• themes
• time travel
• identity
• control
• mind control

The Time Travel theme examines how decisions ripple across timelines, showing that altering one moment can reshape entire generations. Characters use devices like time vials and a slow-motion watch to cross between the future and 1985, creating urgency around every choice about whom to save.

• time travel
• time vials
• timeline
• consequences

The Identity theme centers on body infiltration, where characters inhabit unfamiliar vessels and blur lines between self and other. This creates moral tension around loyalty, memory, and agency, making personal identity a battlefield where choices determine whose life gets preserved.

• identity
• body switching
• possession
• self

The Control theme focuses on mind-control as the villain's primary weapon, turning ordinary people into obedient agents called Trancers. The story critiques the abuse of technological authority and questions whether control justifies harm done to others, exploring the erasure of individual will.

• mind control
• trancers
• free will
• manipulation

Jack Deth is the protagonist, a seasoned hunter from the 23rd century who uses advanced gear to track Trancers. He is methodical, resilient, and driven by duty, forced to navigate unfamiliar bodies and cultures while chasing the mastermind Whistler across time.

• jack deth
• protagonist
• hunter
• trancer hunter

Martin Whistler is the criminal mastermind and main antagonist, possessing psychic powers that allow him to trance victims and bend their behavior to his will. He is ruthless, highly strategic, and treats time as a tool to erase future leaders while controlling those around him.

• martin whistler
• villain
• antagonist
• psychic powers

Lena is a punk rock ally in 1985 who teams up with Jack Deth during his mission. She brings courage and street-smarts to the hunt, defying danger with grit and becoming a reliable partner across the timeline divide.

• lena
• ally
• punk rock
• 1985

A Trancer is a person whose consciousness has been taken over by another through Whistler's psychic abilities, effectively becoming an obedient agent under his control. The process involves projecting consciousness into vessels, erasing the original person's autonomy and will.

• trancer
• mind control
• possession
• zombie

Trance portrays a dystopian world where a shadowy regime uses mind control to maintain power, set against a high-tech surveillance society. The dual timeline structure contrasts a bleak 23rd-century megacity with 1985 Los Angeles, creating a world where shifting loyalties and hidden agendas define every character.

• dystopia
• surveillance
• mind control society
• future world