It is 11/3, the final evening of Mental Filmness! Happy Sunday! I am aware that I accidentally had 11/5 on the Eventive landing page, I think because I was editing over last year’s page, but please note it is 3 and hopefully you noticed that everywhere else. As much as I’d like to do it, I think it would be too difficult to get permission from all of the filmmakers to extend the viewing window at this point, so you’ll just have to be mad at me for my mistake.
Anyway! The virtual festival has been up a good long while now, since World Mental Health Day on 10/10, so hopefully you got a chance to check out a lot of the films. I think there’s only one I haven’t written a capsule review for yet, and that is A Book About Science.
Written and directed by the young filmmaker Ryan Manuud, A Book About Science is one of the more accomplished student shorts I’ve seen, and I’ve seen many at this point. The story is about a neuroscience major writing his thesis on brain chemicals, and it uses a clever narrative device where the different chemicals start to seep into his real life and improve his thesis. The lead actor Ethan Hetrick who plays the neuroscience student Arthur has just the right nerdy, awkward vulnerability, there is some delightful music, and overall the short offers a welcome lighter view with a touch of humor and a hopeful ending. It’s a charming and bittersweet coming-of-age story that showcases the intersection between the science of brain chemistry and human emotions/mental health, and you can watch it for FREE in the Mental Filmness virtual festival through this evening at 9 p.m.
Watch A Book About Science here until 9:00 p.m. this evening here: https://watch.eventive.org/mentalfilmness2024/play/66f084de37280200a77ffdfc/67020ac73f5b89006326c973
