I have friends who are psychologists or psychoanalysts and I suspect they would greatly enjoy this well-mounted drama.  Or perhaps they would see through it immediately and know precisely how it would conclude.  For me and the rest of us who muddle through our lives without keen insights of human understanding, this movie story unfolds like a puzzle, a little bit at a time, eventually reaching an intelligent, satisfying payoff.

Writer-director Josh Brandon’s film finds copy editor Anne Bennett (Rebecca Liddiard) awakening in a hospital with a leg injury and no recollection of how she received it.  Even worse, the resident psychologist, Dr. Monica Atlas (Marina Sirtis) is insistent on delving into Anne’s past while refusing to explain anything further; she eventually says that Anne will eventually tell her why she is there.  Multiple flashbacks tell Anne’s story, complete with unsatisfying work and unsatisfying relationships.  And in the meantime, an impatient detective (Colin Ferguson) demands access to his only witness to a crime that Anne cannot remember.

The puzzle aspects of this movie were daunting at first; like Anne, I just want to know what happened.  But as she struggles to remember, guided by the psychologist, we get to make our own analysis and judgments about what is obviously real and what may be imagined, or coerced, or hidden.  To its credit the film is as honest as it can be with Anne’s predicament; it does not exploit the situation with wild red herrings.  And as things become clear we sense there is still more to be learned and appreciated.

Ultimately this story is about abuse and trauma, about things done under immense pressure and about valuing oneself even as others try to diminish or control one for their gain or comfort.  The message about standing up for oneself eventually becomes sermonizing, but is presented with a power and sincerity that I did not mind.  And it is great to see Marina Sirtis nab such a nice, rich role thirty years after her Star Trek: The Next Generation success.  I met her once and she was sexy and mischievous; I felt then that her talents were being underused.  Better late than never.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  7 May 2025.