Movie Review – ‘I Dream of a Psychopomp’ is a dreamy stroll through grief

Don’t go into this expecting a thrill ride of supernatural scares, terrifying ghosts or even lots of blood. I Dream of a Psychopomp (2021) is a dreamy stroll through dying, loss, grief, and acceptance.

In the town of Spellbound, dreams of the dead intermingle with their loss among the living. Kerry (Elohim Peña) is struggling with the death of his wife, Evelyn (Kulani Kai) especially since he’s the cause of the accident that killed her. As he struggles to come to terms with life absent of her, he’s led through a series of tales meant to comfort and reassure, and in turn, allow them both to let go.

“Until Forever”: As Kerry and Evelyn come to terms with their respective losses, a spirit guide (a psychopomp) gently guides their conversation.

“Spellbound High Monster Hop”: On the eve of the Monster Hop, Caroline (Fiona Rose) is crushing hard on Lonnie (Easton Michaels) and has one chance at teenaged happiness, but she’ll have to come out of her shell to live out one final magical night in the wake of a shattering discovery.

“Answers”: Deena Swann (N. Meridian) is tasked with getting information from a serial kidnapper/murderer named Carl (Peter Knox), who has a final victim they’d like to find. In conversations with Carl, Deena digs for the root of Carl’s pain and anger and looks for a way to release him from his inner demons and bring closure.

In one final unnamed story told as Kerry and Caroline gather one last time, Elayna (Jillian Ebling) is a dying child with a Big Ask to an ancient creature (Ben Shaul), but it comes at a price she may be too young to pay.

Slightly disjointed and less than linear, I Dream of a Psychopomp segues into each story with less than a black screen, creating an unreality as stories flow from one to another. Turn your attention away for a moment, and you may be adrift in a new nightmare. I had to watch it twice, but I’m not sure others would have the same fortitude, though it is worth a second viewing at a mere 80 minutes.

Beautifully filmed, I Dream of a Psychopomp tempers the tragic and unexpected loss of love and companionship with somber visuals meant to illustrate rather than shock. It’s a meditation on death and dying told in misty indigos among the headstones of verdant, rainy cemeteries. This is not a movie to turn on if you’re expecting scares, screams, and blood. It’s dialogue-heavy and introspective and may be best shared with others in a frame of mind to look a little deeper. It’s not here to wow you with cutting-edge creature effects or buckets of blood. It’s a conversation starter that hopes to break the ice.

I Dream of a Psychopomp (2021) is unrated, but let’s call it a PG as there aren’t any real objectionable scenes of death or dying, maybe some light vampirism, allusions to a school shooting, and a child kidnapping.