"It is a thrill to see Almereyda plunge full-bore into Milgram’s work and the implications of it both then and now." - Scott Foundas, Variety
"The film belongs to Sarsgaard, whose snide inflection and quiet intensity are ideally suited to the material." - Brooklyn Magazine
"Conceptually exciting, intellectually searching. Adventurous in form and thought, not just in subject. Mr. Almereyda has a boundless gift for finding new ways to tell old stories." - Manohla Dargis, New York Times
Tuesday, March 24, 6:00 p.m. | Based on a true story, EXPERIMENTER follows famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram who conducted a series of radical behavior experiments in the early sixties testing ordinary humans' willingness to obey authority by using electric shock. Why is it so easy to go along with the will of others? A local researcher will probe this question across multiple levels of cognitive processing, from perception and attention, to memory and decision-making, to affective and social reasoning.
Awards & Nominations
Official Selection - Sundance 2015
Science on Screen® | March 23–April 2, 2026
This March, in our fifth year of Science on Screen® programming, the Siskel Film Center presents three films that mix chemicals, shock the status quo, and swap faces—literally—as we explore the science of film, human behavior, and high-stakes identity crises, with experts on hand to break down the real-world wonder behind every experiment, transformation, and on-screen absurdity. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu