CLEARMIND Review: Taking an Axe to Therapy

 

There’s no mistaking this as anything other than comedic considering the outsized, loud and annoying personalities that make up this group of friends: there’s Nora’s ex Michael, a meek “why-can’t-we-all-just-get-along” type; his new flame, holy roller Shelby (Jessica Meraz); Type A Shannon (Toks Olagundoye); her lazy and ineffectual husband Tom (Kadeem Hardison, perhaps the only inmediately recognizable name present, being that guy that you probably saw in several 90s comedies); perpetually drunk Kate (Seana Kofoed, also the film’s writer); loser slacker David (Matt Peters); and oversexed, ditzy therapist Lily (Jenn Lyon). All are cartoonishly pitched, and it’s clearly Creskoff who’s having the most fun as the grieving mother/potential psychopath.

 

Aside from juggling mismatched tones, Eskreis throws in another curveball in the form of a clever twist, which is sadly spoiled on the poster if you read between the lines; if you ever saw the Matthew McConaughey-starring Serenity, you’ll have a pretty good idea. But rather than turn this into sci-fi, it seems to just be poking fun at all those New Age/alternative/crackpot therapies that think that somehow staring at birds’ nests and listening to soothing music is enough to overcome grief. Not even religion as a coping mechanism gets a pass; Shelby’s sole purpose in this story is for everyone to roll their eyes at every sanctimonious thing that comes out of her mouth.

 

So in the end, ClearMind is a drama about grief, a dark comedy where you question why all these people would want to hang out together in the first place, a slasher movie (the horror elements are the weakest thing here, especially when Nora’s venomous remarks cut deeper than any axe), and a sci-fi yarn. Juggling all of this is a tall order for any director, and while Eskreis isn’t always successful – you’re watching emotional flashbacks one minute, laughing at everyone sniping at each other the next, so you never know whether to take it seriously or laugh as well – she mostly pulls it off.

 

At the very least, ClearMind has more on its mind than being disposable, and it remains interesting by virtue of trying to do so much.