Anna M
When we first observe Anna working quietly at her job in a library, she seems calm and capable. However, we quickly discover that she is an empty, dissatisfied young woman. Finding herself under medical care, and apparently devoid of friendships or any other normal social attachments, Anna quickly becomes obsessed with her doctor.
Anna is clearly disturbed, as she sets out in delusional pursuit of the hapless doctor, who, in turn, has little success in convincing the authorities that she is as menacing as he (eventually) realises she is.
There are shades of Michael Haneke’s La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher) in Michael Spinosa’s feature, Anna M. Like Erika, Anna is troubled, unstable, and lives with her mother. However, while unsettling, this film isn’t as disturbing as Hanneke’s feature; nor is it as sophisticated. Without the psychological intricacies of Haneke’s La Pianiste, we never really gain any insight into why Anna is the way she is, and so the film remains more of a thriller or suspense, than a dramatic character study. This doesn’t detract from Carré’s commendable performance, for which she won this year’s César award for Best Actress, or from the film, which is very good.
This is an interesting film, not to mention a beautiful film to look at, with its atmospheric autumnal hues, punctuated with occasional splashes of red. If the story doesn’t linger, the cinematography surely will.