MOVIE OF THE WEEK September 6, 2024: LOOK INTO MY EYES
Whether or not you believe that psychics truly have the ability to channel the dead or intuit the future, you’ll be hard pressed not to appreciate the comfort and empathy they offer the people who seek out their services in the poignant documentary Look Into My Eyes. Writer/director Lana Wilson captures intimate readings and personal stories without judgment, holding space for the feelings of both the psychics and their clients.
That respect for the emotions of the people featured in the film is clear throughout Look Into My Eyes — and core to what makes it so effective. This is no skeptical expose, and no one is being laughed at. Rather, this diverse group of New York City psychics is being invited to speak honestly and openly, sharing their formative experiences, many of which are traumatic or sad, and the tales of what led them to the work of helping others process their own difficulties.
And even though many of the seven featured psychics would be the first to tell you that they often feel like they don’t really know what they’re doing (one agrees that it’s somewhat like performing improv), it’s clear that the help they provide is valued. Listening to their clients’ worries, validating them, and then offering hope, reassurance, and — sometimes — closure and healing is a calling for them, not a way to make a quick buck. This is about connection, not exploitation.
Wilson films the sessions without comment, letting the participants’ conversations and emotions speak for themselves. And her camera also follows the psychics into their personal spaces, where books, music, movies, and art cocoon them. The end result is a collage of earnest compassion. “Earth is hard,” featured psychic Nikenya Hall says at one point. Showing the value of supporting others as they face that daily struggle is the heartfelt purpose of Look Into My Eyes. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Nell Minow: I did not expect to be drawn in to a sympathetic take on psychics, but found myself captivated by Lana Wilson’s exploration of the way psychics interact with their clients. Her sympathetic, non-judgmental camera created an astonishing level of trust and comfort with both sides. What was most surprising was the skepticism even some psychics express about whether there is any “other side” to access. A background in theater seems to help, not because they are putting on a show for an audience but because that training emphasizes the ability to communicate with a scene partner. The kinds of people who do this work and the kinds of people who seek this help are interesting to watch and easy to sympathize with, especially those who are able to get some comfort that is more about resolving their own issues than communicating with those have passed.
Nikki Fowler: Whether you believe in mediums, clairvoyance, spirituality or “signs,” or nothing at all, a conversation of healing is sparked which in my mind perfectly captures Lana Wilson’s new documentary. Look Into My Eyes is an intimate series of conversations between New York psychics and their clients and it shows that the emotional transaction that is created uncovers a deep sense of love and at times loss, loneliness and the attempt to deal with sorrow about those who have passed on and the struggle for survival in moving on. Look Into My Eyes is not so much about what you believe and what is factual, but what the documentary stirs inside you as a viewer as well as amongst the mediums and their clients and what they are able to share. With superb cinematography, Stephen Maing captures the beauty of the film’s subjects with intimate portraits that allow a deep visual experience within this documentary on humanity.
Leslie Combemale What if being hoodwinked meant feeling better and more at peace? That’s one question that provides the major undertone for Look Into My Eyes, the newest documentary from award-winning filmmaker Lana Wilson. The answer depends on the perspective of the viewer, but one thing’s for sure. Look Into My Eyes will definitely evoke strong emotions from its audiences. The film profiles a collection of psychics in and around New York City, as they ply their trade and make a living. As they do so, they really seem to help their clients get closure, feel comforted and get some some measure of peace. Read full review.
Jennifer Merin Look Into My Eyes is an enlightening documentary about psychics, their practices and their clients. Filmmaker Lana Wilson follows several insight seekers behind closed doors to film their sessions with psychics. The sessions are intimate and surprising. Interviews with both parties — psychics and seekers — are revelatory. Will Look Into My Eyes make believers of skeptical viewers? Watch the documentary and see what it does for you.
Loren King Lana Wilson’s intimate documentary begins with assorted clients visiting psychics, sharing their personal stories and seeking guidance into realms earthy and otherworldly. But then the film switches its focus to the clairvoyants, offering a steadily affecting and compelling look not only into their eyes but their worlds, past and present. Wilson’s choice to profile a specific group of New Yorkers gradually begins to gel as a portrait of creative individuals finding ways to understand and cope with grief, loss, pain and existential questions about life and death. Yet, there’s nothing pretentious or inaccessible in the film; Wilson has managed to engage on a deeply personal level that connects the psychics and the audience in a way that is at once fascinating, illuminating and moving level.
Liz Whittemore Lana Wilson’s documentary follows an eclectic group of New York psychics and their various client encounters. The film is an hour and forty-minute montage of personalities, intentions, and big feelings. Wilson highlights their aspirations aside from readings. There is a common thread of performance study and intense trauma. Each session is unique. Sometimes interactions are leading, other times entirely organic and jaw-dropping. Whether they are authentic or not, Look Into My Eyes is about human connection, grief, and catharsis. It is about closure and healing.
Cate Marquis Look Into My Eyes is a documentary focusing on several psychics working in New York City and some of the people who come to them seeking answers and maybe peace. Director Lana Wilson takes no stance on whether psychic powers are real or not, and instead just lets us observe these psychics, at work and at home. In interviews, both the psychics and their clients get to speak, which gives us an intimate, intriguing look inside a special world. One surprising revelation in this well-crafted documentary is that there are schools to train people to be psychics. Interestingly, almost all of the psychics in this film are actors or entertainers in other parts of their lives. Yet, all these psychics are different too, some more serious about having special powers, others more circumspect on that, while another dresses up for the part and works parties. Still, all seem to believe firmly they are providing a needed service. The clients come to seeking answers that will give them peace from grief, guilt or doubts, and the sessions provide therapy-like support and comfort, albeit mixed with traditional healing techniques, a bit of magicians’ craft and a New Age twist, as clients work through their feelings. The resulting documentary is more intriguing than a skeptic, such as myself, might expect, and offers a fascinating glimpse inside a hidden world where people might work through their own grief or doubts, aided by people who aim to help, although by unusual means.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Look Into My Eyes
Director: Lana Wilson
Release Date: September 6, 2024
Running Time: 106 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Lana Wilson (Documentary)
Distribution Company: A24
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Nikki Fowler, Pam Grady, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
Other Movies Opening This Week
Edited by Jennifer Merin
