If “The Matrix” (1999) implied that reality might be hidden beneath the surface, Josef Gatti’s “Phenomena” looks for life’s significance in the most miniscule, disregarded patterns of daily existence.
Gatti’s film stood out at True/False Film Fest because of its psychedelic audio and visual elements. The documentary follows a filmmaker and his physics teacher father who work together to unravel the beauty of the universe and its elements.
The film made its world premier at The Blue Note Thursday night and has been in the works for 10 years. Every image in the film is real — no special effects. The simplest chemical reaction, such as salts forming crystals across a pane of glass, was brought to life by high-tech camera work. Each detail builds on the importance of every moving piece that makes up living matter.
Gatti and his father explored 10 distinct phenomena: light, matter, energy, waves, gravity, electromagnetism, nuclear, entropy, quantum and life encompassing them. These categories gave structure to the film as their titles flashed across the screen, signaling a new experiment.
The vast amount of patterns in the colors, sounds and movements on the screen all worked together to portray the significance of the smallest aspects of life. Every atom felt like it had a purpose, providing calmness to an otherwise overwhelming topic. The beauty of the film was that even if the science didn’t always make sense, the visuals and music came together to convey how everything in the world is connected.
It was puzzling to see Gatti dive into these complex studies after saying he never clicked with science in his opening narration. Because Gatti isn’t a scientist, his explanations often sounded like someone on a high, which made the experiments feel even crazier.
“Phenomena” sent a reminder of how improbable life is and how many miniscule forces have to work together to make things operate. Going from the intricacies of life at the microscopic level to the vastness of the universe showed how small an individual is in the big picture, but it didn’t make life feel meaningless.
Gatti’s final line of narration was that people are “not just inhabitants, pieces of (the universe’s) story.”
While the on-screen visuals did plenty of work in terms of sensory stimulation, the score of the film brought each element to life. The warping music for each natural force explained in the film pulled viewers into the screen, much like the topics of gravity and electromagnetism. These experiments showed how nothing in the universe wants to be alone; there is attraction in everything.
Gatti described how this film brought him and his father closer together. His father always wanted him to pursue science growing up, and this gave them an opportunity to collaborate on both of their passions.
“Phenomena” really did open a “portal into the universe,” as Gatti said in the opening sequence. Even in the incomprehensible moments, it gives a glimpse at “how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
You can keep up with The Maneater’s 2026 True/False Film Fest coverage here.
Edited by Darby Schwerman | [email protected]
Copy edited by Avery Copeland | [email protected]
Edited by Alex Gribb | [email protected]