John Maybury’s “The Jacket” is impossible to explain. Visually moving and poetically complex, “The Jacket” is not necessarily a difficult movie to understand but it is so rich with detail, deciding which aspects to provide and which ones to exclude is a head-scratcher.

This should not, however, deter anyone from enjoying it. Those who enjoy visually striking films and stories dealing with various metaphysical curiosities should take time to experience “The Jacket.”

Here are the most basic elements: Jack Starks, played by Adrien Brody, died in the Gulf War in 1991. He mysteriously survived, but his memory did not, and after being framed for murder, he is sent to an asylum for the criminally insane.

There, he is subjected to a disturbing treatment in which he is confined to a morgue drawer for hours, resulting in intense hallucinations that allow him to plunge forward in time 15 years. Discovering that he will die again within a matter of days, he begins a journey to cheat death a second time.

It seems that the film is essentially structured around various conflicting themes and the ways they work themselves out. Jack is a benevolent soul placed in the hands of the asylum’s sadistic patriarch, played by Kris Kristofferson. Jack is sane, but surrounded by delusional patients and practically drowned in tranquilizer cocktails. The resulting experiences from these conflicts are the guts of this captivating story.

Although the idea of the story is fascinating, the plot is actually quite dull. Maybury does a decent job of creating a tangible atmosphere for the viewer and, combined with Brody’s flawless performance, the disturbing and suffocating nature of Jack’s experience feels very real.

A story as thoughtful as “The Jacket” might have been better left, however, to someone like Charlie Kaufman, whose way with the absurd and hysterical would have better refined the plot.

Regardless of an oddly dull plot, “The Jacket” is worth a look. It is complex, intriguing and, if nothing else, enjoyable because of what it could have been.