Trance (2013) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Simon was suspected because he suffered amnesia from his head injury and couldn't remember what happened during the robbery. Since he was the only employee present when the theft occurred and his memory was conveniently missing, Franck and his gang believed Simon had hidden the painting for himself.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Simon admits under hypnosis that he planned the robbery to pay off his gambling debts, making him a suspect from the start.

• simon newton
• inside man
• heist
• suspicion
• amnesia

Elizabeth used her position as Simon's hypnotherapist to plant false memories and suggestions in his mind. She discovered that Simon was attracted to her and exploited this by suggesting he would do anything to protect her. This manipulation caused Simon to act violently against Franck's gang while believing it was his own choice.

Foreshadowing: Elizabeth research on Simon revealed his gambling addiction and vulnerability to emotional manipulation.

• elizabeth lamb
• hypnotherapy
• manipulation
• memory implant
• suggestion

The car that hit Simon was driven by Elizabeth herself. During the heist, Simon was struck by a car driven by Elizabeth as part of a coordinated plan. This explained why Simon subconsciously associated Elizabeth with the driver when his memories surfaced.

Foreshadowing: When Simon first sees Elizabeth after the accident, he has an inexplicable pull toward her that goes beyond normal patient-therapist dynamics.

• car accident
• hit and run
• elizabeth
• driver
• heist

Simon's memories kept changing because Elizabeth was actively implanting false memories during his hypnotherapy sessions. She used hypnosis to alter his recollection of events, making him believe he had hidden the painting when he hadn't, and creating false memories about the heist's details.

Foreshadowing: During one session, Simon recalls being hit by a car driven by Elizabeth, but upon waking, this memory vanishes, suggesting it's being suppressed or planted.

• memory loss
• amnesia
• memories
• repressed
• fragmented

The painting ended up with Elizabeth. In the final scenes, she sends Franck a cryptic video of herself with the painting, revealing that she had implanted a suggestion in Simon's mind to retrieve the painting for her. She manipulated everyone, Simon, Franck, and the entire situation, to walk away with the artwork.

Foreshadowing: Elizabeth's final suggestion to Simon during their last session involved reclaiming something precious, foreshadowing her plan to take the painting.

• goya painting
• painting
• ending
• elizabeth
• stolen art

Elizabeth was working primarily for herself. While she initially allied with Franck to access Simon's memories, she ultimately manipulated both Simon and Franck. She fed information to Franck while simultaneously planting suggestions in Simon to serve her own interests, using both men to get the painting.

Foreshadowing: Elizabeth's proposal to have a sexual encounter with Simon to break through his memory barrier created tension with Franck, hinting at divided loyalties.

• elizabeth
• franck
• alliance
• manipulation
• double cross

During their last intimate moment, Elizabeth passed a small object to Simon in his mouth, specifically, the key to Franck's safe where the painting's location was stored. This enabled Simon to access the information and ultimately reveal where the painting was hidden.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Elizabeth instructs Simon to retrieve the painting's whereabouts from Franck's bedroom, setting up this moment.

• kiss
• key
• safe
• object
• passing

In the memory sequence, Simon attacked Elizabeth because he discovered she was manipulating him and had been lying about their relationship. Overcome by jealousy and rage upon realizing the extent of her deception, Simon violently struck her. In response, Elizabeth used hypnosis to erase his memories of her entirely as a form of self-protection.

Foreshadowing: Simon's jealousy and obsession with Elizabeth was a recurring theme, particularly when he learned she had been meeting with Franck behind his back.

• simon attack elizabeth
• violence
• memory
• jealousy
• rage

In the ambiguous ending, Elizabeth offers Franck a choice that determines his fate, though the specific options are left unclear. The implication is that Franck must decide whether to pursue Elizabeth and the painting or accept his loss and walk away, with his choice carrying serious consequences either way.

Foreshadowing: This choice echoes the film's themes of manipulation and control, where Elizabeth always maintains the upper hand.

• ending
• choice
• franck
• elizabeth
• fate
• ambiguous

Simon confesses under hypnosis that his gambling addiction had accumulated massive debts. The heist was actually his own plan to steal the Goya painting and sell it to pay off these debts. He wasn't merely an innocent victim, he had been planning the robbery all along, though his memories of this were suppressed.

Foreshadowing: Simon's financial troubles were hinted at when his home was ransacked, suggesting someone was looking for money or valuables.

• gambling debt
• heist
• motivation
• debts
• robbery

The woman in the trunk was actually dead, she was the driver of the car that had been involved in the initial hit-and-run during the heist. Simon had believed he killed her when he was struck by the car and had fragments of this memory. The revelation that she was already dead (and in the trunk) clarified that Simon was not responsible for killing her.

Foreshadowing: Simon had recurring nightmares and traumatic memories about hitting someone with a car, suggesting guilt over this exact event.

• woman
• trunk
• dead body
• warehouse
• killed