“Alright. So what am I looking at?”

Story: Director Josef Gatti deconstructs ten “inner workings of nature”, looking at our mundane world in ways that spotlight the makeup of our universe.

Genre I’d put it in: Science Documentaries You Actually Want To Watch
Release Date: 2026 
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: A feature length documentary based on the TV series of the same name.

Gotta say: I have to come clean with y’all. There are some times when I don’t want to write a review for a film I’ve watched. Perhaps it’s left little impression on me. Perhaps I’ve got too much to say for good or ill, and don’t feel like submitting a dissertation. But for Phenomena, I’m absolutely delighted to be behind my keyboard. This film’s focus on the beauty of life, the universe, and everything had me enraptured. And I want to tell you about it. Because you need to seek this one out. This documentary feels like the coolest episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy mixed with 60s counterculture filmmaking whipped into a fluffy but substantial treat for your eyes and brain. Hell, just the film’s poster made me stop and really gaze into it. (I want that poster please. I’ll beg if I have to. Or I can just stare at this review’s image. That works too.)

Through the film’s hour and a half(ish) run-time, Gatti looks at various building blocks of our world/universe. He breaks his chapters into Light, Matter, Energy, Waves, Gravity, Electromagnetism, Nuclear, Entropy, Quantum, and Life. Every time he moved into a new section, I though it couldn’t get any more fascinating than the last. I was wrong. From the iridescent sheen of bubbles and how those colors mean something (who knew/not me) to tree resins, soundwaves to soil, metaphysics to mold, I continued to be caught up in the joy Gatti brings to each moment. There are moments where he shows us how he’s made the film, from digging into salt flats and snow, to simply walking up to the camera and adding a filter in real time, showing us how he removes the harshness from an overly bright location. The giggling when he and friend JP use music to capture patterns by playing Also sprach Zarathustra had me feeling like I was in the room, giggling along with them

This film asks you to stop, disconnect from your regular world, and really look at what’s going on onscreen. If you do, you’ll be rewarded with a magnificent journey through parts of our world we scientific plebes rarely get to glimpse at. Setting “Life” as the final chapter of this documentary is fitting, as it brings this film to a close by gently guiding us out of the minutiae of our world – and it’s metaphysical beats – and back into life as we typically see it. To quote a film series shot in a neighboring nation from this film’s locale? We go there, and back again. And as with those films (but for entirely different, more earth-bound reasons) I for one will be forever changed. I hope this film gets the award season recognition it richly deserves this time next year.

Oh, and one last thing? I’m not saying you should get high AF and watch this. I’m not not saying that either. Hell, even Gatti himself lampshades this halfway through the film by saying “I know that may sound like I’m tripping, but it’s true.” Just understand that if that’s the way you wanna go? You’ll end up wanting to re-watch this, just to really soak in the science.

#Protip: Two points this time. One? At the start of the film, Gatti states that viewers should not attempt these experiments at home “…like we did.” And believe me, it’s tempting to run to the kitchen and try to duplicate this stuff. Nuh-uh. Just enjoy his beautiful imagery instead. Two? He also warns viewers that the film has moments of pulsing, flashing, and other sensory moments that may be too much for some viewers. I agree. So please take good care, check out this IG tidbit, and see if this works for you.