Movies about the human mind and the manipulation of thoughts are difficult to pull off effectively. More often than not, they become a muddle of ideas that apparently only make sense to the writer/director and people who are either full of shit or are much more intellectual than me. That being said, when a head trip movie works (such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Dark City), the viewer is given much to ponder, discuss, and discover. I always approach movies like this with trepidation as I usually end up more angry than enlightened and spend more time trying to figure out what the hell is going on rather than enjoying the movie as intended. This can often lead to demented fantasies of making the creator of the movie watch his own movie on repeat while wearing those eye devices that Alex is forced to wear in A Clockwork Orange. I still hold out hope for films like this though because if they are done well, they can be incredible.

Mark Strong (Kick-Ass) stars as John, a man with a tragic past who makes a living as a "memory detective" thanks to his ability to enter people's minds and have a front row seat as they explore their memories. After a leave of absence from the job, he takes on a seemingly simple case involving a teenage girl named Anna (Taissa Farmiga) who is on a hunger strike. All that John has to do is make the girl end her strike and eat something. Things do not go as planned as their first session reveals that there is much more to Anna's case and Mark quickly develops a bond with the troubled girl. As the two of them take more trips into Anna's mind, it becomes more difficult for Mark to separate real memories from ones that Anna may be creating to possibly manipulate him. As more is revealed, Mark finds himself not knowing who to trust as he tries to navigate the mysteries of Anna's mind and the real world.

My apologies for the generic plot summary but you need to go into a movie like this spoiler-free or it simply won't work. For the most part, the movie is very engaging thanks to the stellar performances from Strong and Farmiga who hold their own throughout and establish a comfortableness with the characters from their first scene together. This relationship is key to the film and actors are flawless in bringing the story to life. Strong in particular brings a cool and professional demeanour combined with a humanity that is difficult to achieve in a character like this. The movie would not have worked without this touch. The movie is also propelled with a fantastic score by Spanish composer Lucas Vidal that keeps the picture vibrant and exciting when it could have become dull very quickly.

The movie has everything going for it and is thoroughly engaging for most of the running time. Unfortunately, the ending goes off track and my enjoyment of the picture took a dramatic turn in the closing minutes. There was so much to like leading up to this but it felt like writer Guy Holmes just gave up and tacked on a finale that didn't fit with the rest of the film. I felt like I was watching a hockey game where the goalie was just about to get a shutout and then let in a soft goal in the last two minutes. This is always disappointing and I'm sad to say that it is usually what you remember. It's really a shame because this was a solid flick that deserved better. Farminga is the younger sister of Vera Farmiga and her career is just starting to take off thanks to a big boost from the TV series "American Horror Story". (Josh Pasnak, 3/9/15)

Directed By: Jorge Dorado.
Written By: Guy Holmes.

Starring: Taissa Farmiga, Mark Strong, Brian Cox, Indira Varma.

aka: Mindscape.