A young mom (Clayton Joyner) is deep in the process of grief counseling after losing her only child. She’s struggling, but there are signs of hope. She has a supportive therapist, and makes little pieces of progress every day. That is, until she starts showing signs of something darker brewing under the surface. The trick is figuring out what is truth and what is fiction, and how far she is willing to go to ignore her grief and guilt.

Character and performance driven GRIEF COUNSELING falls squarely on Joyner’s shoulders, and she carries the film with grace. Without over playing or telegraphing, the subtleties in Joyner’s mannerisms and expressions convey an incredible story of love and loss in 11 short minutes. Supported by Marcus D. Moore as the therapist, this story is able to ride quietly and delicately on Joyner’s deep sorrow. Oscar Enhelder-Kunkel as Noah, the deceased son, round out this simple little journey of love and loss.

This is a quiet film, and I don’t just mean in terms of lack of dialogue and small, subtle acting moments. I mean that there seems to have been some sound issues, particularly in the therapist’s office, which cause the volume of the dialogue to run all over the place, and sometimes get nearly swallowed up by room tone. If I can urge you to stick with it – tune your ear to the softer voices – it is worth it. You don’t want to miss a second of GRIEF COUNSELING.

GRIEF COUNSELING packs heart, grief, and fear into a tight, succinct package. Only 11 minutes takes you on a wild journey, with years of pain and sorrow bubbling over into a moment of drama you never see coming. The scare factor is subtle, but there, and once the realization dawns on you, you won’t want to look away from this horror story. Heartache and horror are the backbone of GRIEF COUNSELING, and Joyner and the supporting cast are the heart.  

7/10