Critics reviews

[Look Into My Eyes] may seem fragmented, elusive, or “arty” to modern audiences who aren’t into older movies and have no reference point for what they’re watching. Hopefully not, though, because it’s an often profound and touching documentary that engages your attention differently than movies usually do.

[Wilson] eschews cutaways, soundtrack, and a filmmaking flex or two for an intimate experience that’s ever so slice-of-life in a manner that never seeks to uncover the truth behind these soothsayers and, in what could be seen as an about-face from the main topic, portrays each as uniquely human... The resulting film is truly as real as it gets.

Whether or not it’s all real is beside the point, and Wilson refrains from interrupting readings or prodding her subjects as to the legitimacy of their trade... [The director] is far more compassionate, interested chiefly in the soothing effects of what psychics can offer, effects that can be just as validating as true paranormal prowess.

Make no mistake, this is a profoundly sad movie, one soaked in loss and the longing for human connection. Yet it is also surprisingly hopeful, as Wilson gently frames the psychic-client relationship as one of mutual benefit.... Throughout, the film’s gaze is tender and its tone respectful.

Look into My Eyes is a unique window into the minds of those who, like Wilson, experience a lot of feelings about the state of the world, but aren’t quite sure what to say or do about them.

Look Into My Eyes is at its best when revealing how psychic readings are not a one-way street but a worthwhile service for all parties involved. They aren’t value exchanges, Wilson demonstrates, so much as they are value-creating engines.

The film’s unobtrusive style lets these stories and readings unfold with little interference... There’s great emotional authenticity to these conversations, which circles back to the film’s revelatory emphasis on attentive listening.

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.

A thoughtful, moving portrait of a community of people who want to do their best with the gifts they’ve received... By following this group of mediums Wilson doesn’t solve the mysteries of the universe, but she does do something remarkable: unveiling the very human desires and drives that motivate us to reach out for something bigger than ourselves.

Look Into My Eyes is a compassionate documentary that asks viewers to keep an open mind about this oft-debated subject, even if it offers no easy answers... Wilson keeps her approach measured. She is not trying to win anyone over, nor is she trying to debunk or poke fun at her seven psychic subjects.

Wilson knows the intimacy and effectiveness of these appointments require no distractions, no sense of outside noise. Thus her camera never feels like it interferes, framing both sides of the table in darkness and with a stillness that allows each person’s stories, tears, and smiles to come through.

[Look Into My Eyes] is a film that one enters asking, “Is this real?” Before long, one realizes the important question is “Does it matter?” Wilson reframes psychic readings as acts of joint therapy, revealing how these intimate sessions are often as emotionally powerful for the psychic as the client.