Rating of
2.5/4
Remember, If You Dare
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/25/14
Anna is the kind of psychological thriller that you need to pay attention to in order to get the whole story. While the movie isn't without fault - thanks to the strong showing from Taissa Farmiga and Mark Strong - the characters make up for some uneven pacing.
We learn that in this version of reality, memory detectives are able to enter the minds of people and relive events from their point of view. It is enough to influence decisions in high-profile cases (not quite as permissive as DNA - but more reliable than polygraph tests). Strong's character, John, is a top memory detective - or at least he was until his wife's suicide - couple with a recent stroke - has left him out of the game. In order to get him back on track, colleague Sebastian (the always solid Brian Cox) gives him a seemingly softball assignment - help a troubled young girl, Anna (Farmiga) to start eating again as she has decided to stage a hunger strike.
Yet what begins as an ordinary case opens some very dark doors - and it soon becomes apparent that Anna is far from a normal young girl. What really drives the film is that Farmiga and Strong really sell their characters. Farmiga isn't too out of her depth - Anna reminded me quite a bit of the daughter she played in the first season of American Horror Story (where she was also excellent) - dark and a bit twisted, though Anna is a much smarter cookie. Strong, who often plays more villainous roles, does fine here in a more subdued role as a man trying to come to grips with his own demons.
As we delve deeper into the mind of Anna - we learn some harsh truths - or do we? The movie is very good about playing games - names, events - everything gets a bit shuffled around until it's hard to know what to believe. As we build up to an ending (one that has a neat twist you may or may not see coming) it's apparent this game is deadly serious. Those who are so inclined will be able to uncover more than a few plot holes - although with the nature of the film, many can probably be cleared away by claiming "selective memory" though that seems like a cop out.
While I liked part of the ending, it seemed they wanted to tack on a typical "happy" Hollywood style wrap-up - which was too bad. I kind of hoped to end on a darker note, myself. Still - even with the flaws this is one of those rare "smart" horror films that actually lives up to the premise - if only because the casting is spot on and highly convincing. It's a good way to spend an evening and it will certainly jolt the mind.
