Leigh plays a war photographer who, suffering from PTSD,[2] becomes unsure whether she is responsible for her ex-boyfriend's disappearance.

At an exhibition of her work, her daughter Jessie rebukes her efforts at reconciliation, and Lee mistakes a stranger for John.

Lee is stunned by the resemblance between John and Peter, but tells Dr. Bloom that they are polar opposites in personality and demeanor.

Flashbacks and psychotherapy sessions reveal that Lee and John met in a hospital after he was involved in a car accident, and she was the victim of a suicide bombing.

Freed of suspicion from both herself and the police, Lee begins to recover and soon leaves the psychiatric hospital; at the same time, she realizes that Peter and John look nothing alike, and the perceived similarities in appearance were only her imagination.

When Lee returns to active work, she is suddenly struck by the fear that all the positive moments in her life may be a false memory.

[7] Ronnie Scheib of Variety wrote, "Jennifer Jason Leigh is as radiant and uncompromising as ever in this convoluted and repetitive psychological thriller".

[8] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Although Jennifer Jason Leigh delivers a compelling turn, this Hitchcock-style drama ties itself in too many knots.

"[11] Sam Weisberg of The Village Voice called it an "electrifying" psychological thriller that "plays slightly like Vertigo with the gender reversed".

[12] Diego Costa of Slant Magazine rated it zero stars and called it a "vacuous exercise in genre emulation".

[13] Amy R. Handler of Film Threat rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Though some may find The Moment's non-linear format needlessly difficult, and its story too much like an evening soap opera, I really enjoyed the movie."