INGRESS

Stars: Rachel Noll James, Christopher Clark, Tim DeKay and Johnny Ferro
Writer/Director: Rachel Noll James

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

Heartstrings aren’t the only things being tugged in Ingress (noun; the action or fact of going in or entering), a new-age weepie about a young widow caught in a grief spiral who can travel between alternate realities, some of which contain her dearly departed. There’s also the yin/yang struggle of independent film storytelling, a factor that contributes to Rachel Noll James’ feature debut both soaring and, just occasionally, stumbling.

Cut from the same cinematic cloth as magical realism love stories Somewhere in Time (1980), Ghost (1990), What Dreams May Come (1998) and The Premonition (2007), Ingress is the story of Riley (Noll James, again), whose reality becomes a blurry, increasingly foreboding prospect whenever her dead husband Toby (Johnny Fero) overtakes her thoughts. The ‘shimmer’ means she is about to travel between planes of existence - not something that Riley can continue to experience if she’s going to get past Toby’s demise, but which also means he may be alive in some other reality.

Helping her on the journey is medium-of-sorts Daniel (Christopher Clark), an author and victim of his own inner turmoil, whose connection to a greater, universal consciousness means he can mentor her through some of the more out-there manifestations of her ‘gift’. Their other-worldly union strengthens into affection, but with Toby popping in and out of Riley’s time and space…well, it gets complicated.

The multi-hyphenate writer/director/star has dropped a major calling-card offering with Ingress, with several scenes taking on profoundly lovely and deeply moving attributes that indicate Rachel Noll James is a talent to watch, both in front of and behind the camera. At 118 minutes, I’d argue that there is an edit of the film that tightens the opening act and excises some of the oft-repeated ‘everyday life struggles’ we share with Riley and Daniel. Having the creative control that true indie filmmaking affords brings with it the risk of excessive introspection, which Ingress displays occasionally.  

Regardless, it is a beautiful film to look at, with cinematographer Dan Clarke and production designer Lindsey Jensen crafting some stunning images; also a plus is Michael Reola’s understated score. They exhibit all the genuine tenderness and heartfelt honesty that is evident across all aspects of both Rachel Noll James’ narrative and production.