Film Forum

Crystal balls, neon signs leading into candle-lit rooms, ladies in caftans: these images of psychics fill the popular imagination. But throughout New York City, in minimalist and homey settings, a community of sensitive, tuned-in individuals, with their own stories of loss and love, offer bridges to the beyond for sincere seekers. Acclaimed documentarian Lana Wilson (AFTER TILLER, MISS AMERICANA) turns her eye for intimacy and revelation on sessions between psychics and clients: a doctor wants assurance about the young girl who died in her care. An adopted young woman inquires about her birth parents. A pet medium (who also happens to be a cinephile) channels an anxious dog’s concerns. Equally absorbing are the questions the psychics ask themselves: Am I really helping people? Do I have a true gift? Does it matter?  

2024     104 MIN.     USA     A24

Reviews

CRITIC’S PICK. “[A] fascinating portrait of seven New York City psychics…when we visit [them] outside the sessions, we learn that the healing, when it occurs, goes both ways. Their candor, as they divulge why they chose to become mediums, is both touching and revelatory.”
– Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times

“An exquisitely made documentary that puts compassion before cynicism.”
– Nicolas Rapold, Sight and Sound

“With a cozy but respectful camera, a considerate tone that never compromises the film’s idiosyncratic subject, and a profound understanding of urban alienation, Wilson puts forth something that will make every New Yorker—or anyone who’s ever sat with unprocessed grief and suffering—feel a little less alone, a little more seen.”
– Tomris Laffly, Harper’s Bazaar

“Tender and entrancing…skeptical, mesmeric, and ultimately rather moving.”
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire