Fathomless

Synopsis

Fathom, a unit to measure depth. A medical-science trajectory toward understanding the deep complexity of minds and the perception of people living with mental illness. Fathomless is an experimental collage of the history of psychiatry, including the themes of invisibility, control, demonization, as well as the struggle to find both solid science and the path to compassionate, effective treatment in neuropsychiatry.

Fathomless is a collaboration between neuropsychiatrist Dr. Meilín Fernández García, who created all lab images in the film, and filmmaker/animator Melissa Ferrari. Commissioned for the Imagine Science Film Festival Symbiosis Competition with support from Science Sandbox.

Visually, Fathomless approaches the history of scientific imaging — from the similar aesthetic sensibilities of microscopes and magic lanterns to methods for visualizing "unseeable” conditions. A palimpsest of hand-drawn animation travels through spaces in the history of psychiatric treatment, incorporate antique magic lantern slides, archival references and pre-cinematic techniques. The animation evolves into Dr. Fernández García’s luminous lab imaging of neurons, stem cells and organoids used in neuropsychiatric research, tracing the trajectory to the biological interior of the mind.

Fathomless features a collage of conversations between Dr. Fernández García and other scientists. Dr. Fernández García works in a lab that uses CRISPR technology and stem cells to research the neurons of people with psychiatric illness. Her research is part of a new chapter of psychiatry - one that understands the biological component of psychiatric disorders and seeks to develop new treatments rooted in biology. Mental illness today is still so frequently criminalized and misunderstood socially, and Dr. Fernández García's work could help change perceptions within the general public and political spheres.