Director: Josef Gatti
Writer: Josef Gatti, Joseph Nizeti
Stars: Josef Gatti
Synopsis: A psychedelic odyssey into the fabric of the universe, guided by a filmmaker’s immersive practical experiments that transcend into a deeply hypnotic audio-visual experience of awe and human connection to the natural world.
There are films that one watches and realizes it is difficult to encompass an entire universe in a few simple words. It’s a case where “a picture is worth a thousand words” becomes a valid statement. But then, what’s the point of writing about images or motion pictures when sentences fail to convey the magic one watches on a screen? Those are the first thoughts that come to mind while watching director Josef Gatti’s psychedelic odyssey Phenomena, which is the weirdest documentary I have watched as of late.
How does one catch lightning in a bottle? To be fair, that’s easy nowadays, but the notion of recording the universe compressed in 10 chapters per session, one chapter per microuniversal process, is something that I haven’t heard of before. I am not saying Gatti (or Joe as he refers to himself) invented the wheel, but this is, for sure, a unique picture, unlike anything we’ve seen, not just lately, but probably at all.
It’s difficult to describe what Phenomena is about. One artist’s mad obsession with science, to the extent of falling madly in love with the universe and trying to capture it. Complex ideas like visualizing light and sound become the stage on which Joe showcases his talents as a filmmaker and a creative. The dream collab (creativity in science) is not just an education lesson but a true formula to conceptualize cinema as a visual language, especially in documentary filmmaking, rather than merely a vehicle for a topic or a subject matter as vast as space or as miniature as salt crystals.
Despite the subject matter hinting that it might be just another boring academic lecture, there is not a dull moment in this film. Joe is in love with the universe and wants this love to transcend to us. It’s his passion that makes this psychedelic trip superior to any other scientific-themed documentary. His creativity in showcasing the universe in its intricate details but also his subtlety in handling those natural phenomena. Without visual effects or artifice, Joe immerses himself in the world of scientific trials, acting as the orchestra of the film, with the mesmerizing cinematography and the narration complementing his visual journey to the bone. He seeks help from his father, hands-on in front of the camera, to help visualize procedures that seem impossible to put on camera. Without the help of the sound department, composer Nils Frahm’s compositions and Rival Console’s original scores blend multiple genres from electronica, classical, to ambient compositions.
Music creates a trance that envelops the visual magic and elevates the viewing. But at the end of the day, what key message is Joe trying to deliver with this visual feast? Our planet is beautiful, but it’s becoming more and more difficult to notice that in current circumstances. The world seems to get uglier by the day with wars, degradation of soil, deforestation, and loss of resources. But through films like this, people can hold on to nature for dear life.
It is almost impossible to rate Phenomena, because how can one rate mega concepts like light, sound, air, matter, and velocity? This is not a documentary one can discuss on film forums or have a chat about with their friends after a screening. This is something that a viewer enters a dark room to let it wash all over them, and they come out healed and energized, maybe a little bit in love with the world.
This movie belongs on the biggest screen possible. All this beauty deserves to be witnessed in silence, in a dark, air-conditioned room. Hopefully in the company of strangers.
