John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office: dir Michael Almereyda & Courtney Stephens (2025)

John Lilly (1915-2001) was a scientist whose adventurous research played out against the backdrops of 1950s Cold War military science, the drug-infused counterculture of the 60s, and the environmental push of the 70s. Narrated by Chloë Sevigny, the documentary tells the story of Lilly’s quest, as one historian put it, to “get his hands on the steering wheel of consciousness” — a project that relied increasingly on psychedelics, leaving conventional science behind. For instance, Lilly invented the isolation tank; and he was a primary explorer in the study of dolphin communication, founding his own lab and pairing a young female researcher with a young male dolphin in a partially-flooded house. The film reflects the scope of Lilly’s interests, the evolution of his public persona, and his interactions with equally exceptional contemporaries: it’s not much a biopic, though, as a study of a few tumultuous decades in US history that showed how ideas can seep into culture.

Screens in the Jameel’s second Summer Cinema programme, in collaboration with Hind Mezaina’s Culturist Film Club. Screenings are followed by an informal discussion with invited guests.