About.com Rating

Odds are we'll never get a sequel to Inception, but if you're hard up for some similar dream world mind trips (and have given all the Nightmare on Elm Streets a go), maybe Anna will float your boat...or send it into an iceberg, depending on how high your expectations are.

The Plot

In an alternate reality in which "memory detective agencies" delve into the minds of people to uncover truths within long-forgotten memories, "remote viewer" John Washington (Mark Strong) returns to his job at the top agency, Mindscape, after months off due to a stroke.

Eager to take his mind off his wife's recent death, John jumps headlong into his new case, a 16-year-old named Anna (Taissa Farmiga) whose upper-crust parents have hired him to get her to give up her weeklong hunger strike -- or at least figure out what's causing it.

As he delves into the case, John discovers that Anna has a troubled history that includes a string of disciplinary problems, an attempted suicide, possible sexual abuse and even an accusal of attempted triple homicide. Probing her memories, he sees her less-than-nurturing parents and her bullied school years and begins to sympathize with the teen, but will drawing closer impair his ability to determine if Anna is an innocent victim or a manipulative sociopath?

The End Result

For lack of a better description, Anna is a poor man's Inception (or Dreamscape) with more of a mystery/suspense angle. It crafts an intriguing plot that at the very least makes you want to stick around to see how it plays out, but today's savvy fans hip to the mind games inherent in this sort of film will likely foresee a good number of the plot twists before the frustratingly dense lead -- supposedly a top memory detective -- does.

The story borrows not only from Inception and its ilk, but it also takes enough from less fantastic suspense films that nothing here comes as a surprise.

The script is uneven in quality; some elements are nicely conceived, while others feel like glaring holes, and some moments of dialogue are well-written, while others are stilted and obvious (After Anna's mother tells John she cuts herself, she adds that they keep a close eye on her to protect her. "From what?" he asks. "From herself," she responds. Well, DUH.). The awkwardness of the dialogue perhaps contributes to the surprisingly stiff acting from a strong cast.

Still, Anna is an attractively shot, professional-looking feature debut from Spaniard Jorge Dorado, who has worked as an assistant director for both Guillermo del Toro and Pedro Almodóvar (Orphan's Jaume Collet-Serra, meanwhile, serves as a producer on this film.). The cat-and-mouse scenes of Anna and John are the most enjoyable, and the memory scenes build a palpable level of intrigue and anticipation, although they never fully pay off.

The Skinny

• Acting: C- (Apart from Farmiga, it's surprisingly stiff.)
• Direction: B- (Attractively shot, although you wonder if the director can be blamed for some of the acting choices.)
• Script: C- (Attention-grabbing elements give way to a predictable outcome.)
• Gore/Effects: C (Little to speak of.)
• Overall: C (An intriguing setup and eye-catching direction help balance out uneven writing and some overly familiar plot points.)

Anna is directed by Jorge Dorado and is rated R by the MPAA for nude sexual images. Release date: June 6, 2014 (in theaters and on demand).