A Louisiana woman learns that her husband has been killed in an automobile accident, leaving her with two young children. After a night of tears and grief, she finally drifts into sleep. When morning arrives, she opens her eyes to discover that her husband - the one she presumed dead - is sleeping peacefully next to her.

From that point on, Premonition pulls us into the world of this exceptionally baffled suburban woman, played by Sandra Bullock.

She's confused. We're confused. So is the movie.

Drawing apparent inspiration from its betters - movies such as The Sixth Sense and Memento - Premonition provides Bullock's Linda with an opportunity to leap back and forth in time, from the days leading to her husband's death to the days following his demise.

As directed by German filmmaker Mennan Yapo, Premonition quickly establishes itself as a muddled, dour mess that encourages an audience to hold out hope that a terrific ending will not only pull things into focus but salvage time already invested. It doesn't.

Bullock, who did such a nice job in a small role as novelist Harper Lee in last year's largely unseen Infamous, spends most of the movie in a state of anxiety: Linda must try to convince others that she's not mentally ill, that she really is moving around in time.

Linda's mother (Kate Nellegan) attempts to help with the two children, but no one seems able to convince Linda that she's imagining things. At one point, she's carted off to a mental institution. Not to worry, she'll be out as soon as the movie slips out of the future and back to the present.

Somewhere along the line, Bullock's character visits a priest, hoping he can shed light on what's happening. The priest doesn't come up with much by way of assistance, which makes you wonder why the scene was included in the first place.

For a movie like this to work, we'd have to be deeply invested in Linda's struggle. Unable to sustain interest in the characters, Yapo tries for eerie notes and shock. At one point, one of Linda's daughters runs through a plate-glass window, scarring her face. Trying to keep track of those scars as the movie shifts around in time constitutes a full-time job.

Mostly, this is the Bullock show. Nia Long signs on in the thankless role of best friend, and before everything's done, a psychiatrist (Peter Stormare) is giving Lithium to Linda.

During sequences set before the accident, Linda's husband (Julian McMahon) debates whether to have an affair with a sexy co-worker (Amber Valletta). Even the prospect of infidelity doesn't do much to enliven these grim, self-absorbed proceedings.

Somewhere, maybe a little more than halfway through Premonition, I scrawled these words in my notebook: "This makes no sense." Nothing happened along the rest of the way to change my mind.

Premonition

A wife leaps forward in time - and back.

• Grade: D+

• Rated: PG-13

• Running time: 94 minutes