Look Into My Eyes

Psychic ability is a subject that often mystifies yet captivates many of us. It's also a topic that's frequently misunderstood and comes with a lot of distorted, uninformed baggage in need of serious clarification. Those looking to be enlightened about it, however, are unlikely to come away from director Lana Wilson's documentary on the subject with much new or profound insight. The film profiles seven New York City psychic professionals through conversations with these individuals and footage from sessions with some of their clients. Regrettably, though, this overlong offering is in serious need of being trimmed and recut. Much of the material becomes redundant and tedious as the film progresses, and the picture frequently focuses on the wrong content. Many of the client sessions, for example, are abruptly cut short just as they're starting to get interesting. In addition, the interviews with the psychics are at their best when they wax philosophically about the nature of this phenomenon (particularly when discussing how they became involved in this practice, often through artistic, healing and self-acceptance avenues), but there's not nearly enough of these fascinating metaphysical musings. And then there's a potentially intriguing collective gathering involving all seven psychics that, sadly, receives woefully short shrift, again getting clipped just as it's becoming engaging. Instead of more of what works best in the film, viewers are left with numerous easily eliminated pregnant pauses, often-superfluous descriptions about everyday aspects of the psychics' personal lives and overly repetitive discussion of subjects addressed in the session material (especially those involving the work of a pet psychic, an intriguing but vastly overused narrative element). "Look Into My Eyes" could have been a genuinely revelatory, insightful examination of this subject, but the filmmaker has not made the most of that golden opportunity. Instead of providing audiences with a meaningful, articulate look into the subject matter, viewers are left with a meandering, unfocused treatment of a topic that could be valuable and impactful to many of us - and that truly deserves better handling than what's presented here.

Not sure what the intention was for this documentary. Exposing fake or terrible psychics? It does a disservice to the subject matter. There are some talented mediums who don't prey on people. I can't tell if these psychics are just terrible or fraudulent. Either way, each one of them show many signs of depression. That is exploitive. Is it expose' or exploitation? Problematic either way. If expose' was intended, perhaps we should have been able to hear from psychics with a solid reputation to fairly try to defend the subject matter. I've had some good experiences with psychics where the information could be validated by me without leading the psychic.

The storytelling by Lana was superb as was the cinematography and lighting. This became not a story about if psychic readings are true, but how people can heal through this sort of interaction. We get to know the people going to the readers and then the readers themselves, how they found their individual gifts and how they came to offering readings. The pacing was good and Lana delicately weaves the 7 psychics with multiple clients that culminate into an emotional climax that is both heartfelt and rewarding. It was funny and deeply moving with a few pull at the heartstring moments. Def watch!!

I for one always like watching interesting docs and this "Look Into My Eyes" was one that was no different as it follows thru interviews and chat sessions with several different "New York City" residents all who have had life experiences that involve lost loved ones who have left to soon. And many recount how these loses have affected their personal lives and thru talking with and becoming clients of psychics this has helped them function more and better. Also from acting, singing, and expressing feelings thru art drawings this too helps with each loss and dealing with life in the spirit world of tarot cards, and the supernatural that could exist in the form of the gone loved ones that they miss. The film is touching, heart warming, and brings out emotions proving that connections thru talk, expression, and belief in the spirit world brings help and hope.

The trailer promises a new look at the world of psychic readings, but what we get are sometimes too-intimate looks at the lives of a series of scammers who sell the illusion of talking to the dead or to pets or to dead pets in order to comfort people who are emotionally fragile and clearly not the sharpest knives in the rack.

That suckers go to psychics for succor is no great revelation, although this documentary seems to think it is, and then it goes to pains to say that's okay. In that very modern falsehood of thinking validating everyone's feeling is a good idea. Maybe just tell the person, "Hey, your dog's probably dead, but who knows?" and let them live in reality. Don't too many of us hang on to deception? Isn't that part of the reason we're descending into a totalitarian regime in 2025?

While no names or narration are given to guide us, the documentary all but exposes each of the "psychics" as hucksters, many of whom seem mentally ill and who narcissistically see only their own pains in everyone elses's. Other just seem like empathetic people who spout feel-good nonsense as band-aids, and you have to wonder what their clients really think afterward. But we never hear from them.

It's very telling that many of the fleecers portrayed here talk openly about their dreams of art and acting. It seems that while they never made it to Broadway, they all found their stages, given the lovely size of many of their apartments.

It's also telling that they all come from disempowered, disenfranchised communities (women, gay, African American), a sad reminder of how effective is the brainwashing done by the elite and/or religion (in this case, the delusion of an afterlife and of magic).