3 Short Paragraphs: Anna

2013, Jorge Dorado -- Netflix

OK, let's dig back into the archives, something I saw weeks ago and has pretty much faded from my mind. I don't have enough to do a I Saw This but I am sure we can babble on about this one for three paragraphs. Anna or Mindscape stars Mark Strong, and is set 20 minutes into the future when there exists a type of detective psychologist that can delve into people's memories. I honestly was never sure why they existed but I guess they are hired out to police forces and to people who just need to remember something. It seemed like a rather more arcane organization than was warranted for helping someone find their keys.

Anna is the current client, the daughter of a wealthy SOB, who needs them to determine if his daughter is... normal. She suffered some trauma, but has always been different. They need to understand how different -- is she a sociopath or did something happen to her in the deep past to make her this way. Immediately, we realize Anna is not as she presents; she is manipulative, deceiving and seductive. She draws John (Strong) into her fabricated / altered memories, manipulating him towards her own ends. By the time he realizes as much, it is too late.

This was an OK movie, a friday night renter that will never be thought about again. If I was younger, less exposed, I would have enjoyed the different take Dorado takes on the movie, as a Spanish director doing an english movie. Alas, that doesn't satisfy me anymore, nor does the dabbling in genre plots nor twists at the end. This was a capable movie, but not very impressive. The repeated themes and visual cues are not mysterious, just familiar. I would have been more interested in John had been manipulating her all along, as he was supposed to be the best at what he does, but honestly, if you want to see a movie about diving into people's minds, stick to Inception.