Top-rated
Fri, Apr 22, 2016
Little by little, thanks to brain imaging, scientists are succeeding in outlining the contours of our consciousness... Having already explored the "Belly, our second brain", director Cécile Denjean now turns her attention to a fascinating exploration of the brain through the twists and turns of consciousness. Our consciousness begins in the very first moments of life with a mass of sensations: like adults, babies perceive what surrounds them, albeit a little more slowly. Then, around the age of 2, self-awareness takes root, and this inner narrative gains in complexity. Over a lifetime, it becomes an "increasingly sophisticated representation of the external world", as researcher Stanislas Dehaene explains. Nourished by memories and sensations, our consciousness becomes a small inner voice, personal to each and every one of us. An interpretation of reality After "Belly, our second brain", Cécile Denjean sets out on an ambitious exploration of brain function in two parts - she co-wrote the first, directed by Amine Mestari. In this second part, numerous researchers - including psychiatrist Christophe André, and Buddhist monk and doctor in cell biology Matthieu Ricard, who kindly plays the role of guinea pig - testify and share their most recent experiments, backed up by 3D images and computer graphics. Optical illusion tests also show how consciousness can be deluded, proving that it is an interpretation of reality. Sleep, dream, coma, meditation...: this sensitive film takes us on a journey of discovery into a cerebral continent as vast as it is mysterious. Documentary by Cécile Denjean (France, 2015, 58mn)