“An illuminating work of cultural archaeology” — The Film Stage
Opens April 17 | The daring experimenter Dr. John C. Lilly dedicated his life to radical self-investigation and unlocking the mysteries of consciousness and communication. “My body is my laboratory” was the motto, and his research on the language of dolphins and whales – as well as psychedelics and sensory deprivation – assured his own cult status in 20th-century pop culture as the basis for Ken Russell’s ALTERED STATES and Mike Nichols’s THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN. Directors Michael Almareyda and Courtney Stephens, along with narrator Chloë Sevigny, explore the life of a determined scientist and his experiments into the psychonautical unknown. Siskel Film Center exclusive.
Awards & Nominations
Official Selection - 2026 International FIlm Festival Rotterdam
Official Selection - Doc Fortnight 2025
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