“Dragonfly” Review

Every now and then a film will come along that touches you where you live. Deep inside it burrows itself as you watch it and it becomes a part of you. Such it was when I watched “Dragonfly,” starring Kevin Costner. It is a film that anyone who has lost a loved one and is grieving should watch.

In summary the film is about the inability of non-grieving people to understand the bereaved and to accept the possibility and power of After Death Communications (ADC).

Joe, played by Kevin Costner, loses his wife Emily early in the film. Shortly after her death he begins to experience electromagnetic phenomena and perhaps most amazingly, the appearance of dragonflies. Dragonflies were something very special to Emily. Joe comments that he had always had such a hard time finding dragonfly things to buy her as gifts and now they are everywhere. A mobile arrives that she had bought for their unborn baby, there is an “event” with her dragonfly paperweight and a real dragonfly approaches Joe’s window at night. Not a typical time for a dragonfly to be out.

The film progresses to a child in cardiac arrest psychically calling Joe. Jeffrey, the child, recounts a Near Death Experience (NDE) to Joe, recalling him looking down at Joe from the ceiling while efforts to revive him were in process. Jeffrey then claims he saw Emily in his NDE and he knows he is supposed to deliver a message of urgency to Joe but is unable to recall it. Jeffrey’s father calls all of this tall tales; meanwhile Jeffrey continues to sketch a symbol that he cannot explain.

Joe then encounters another child who has the same drawing as Jeffrey’s sketch. Joe begins to question if Emily is trying to contact him, while at the same time denying the possibility of that being a reality.

At a dinner at Joe’s father’s home, a grief counselor has been invited without Joe’s knowledge. She tells him that we need to talk to the deceased, they have no need to talk to us. She says that the living conjure up spirits and believe they are attempting to contact us. Despite Joe’s disbelief, which is beginning to waver, he brushes her off unconvinced either way.

Joe’s friend, Miriam, who is an attorney, tells him that his experiences are delusional. It’s time to move on. She encourages him to sell his house, Emily’s parrot and go on a vacation to get his “head straight.” Shortly after their conversation another dragonfly appears and Joe tells himself, “it is just a bug.”

The movie progresses with more experiences that Joe must face that force him to analyze what he believes. Does he believe that Emily is trying to contact him? He seeks out a nun who has done research into ADCs and NDEs and she explains to him that, “belief gets us there.” And so Joe steps out on the limb of faith and follows what he believes to now be the truth.

Despite some not-so-favorable reviews, I felt this film was excellent. It is written and directed well and it is one of Kevin Costner’s finest performances. For the person in grief or anyone who believes in or has experienced an After Death Communication, it is a must-see.
It is an absolute certainty that “Dragonfly” will leave anyone thinking about the after-life and what it may mean for people and how they live their lives.

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