In Utero
2015|83min|USA
Directed by Kathleen Gyllenhaal
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CLASSIFICATION:
This film has been exempt from classification and is restricted to persons aged 15 and over unless accompanied by an adult.
In Utero is a cinematic rumination on what may emerge as one of the most provocative subjects of the 21st Century – life in the womb and its lasting impact on human development, human behavior, and the state of the world.
Through enlightening and oftentimes poignant interviews with experts and pioneers, In Utero paints a complex tapestry of the human experience from conception to birth. Tapping into cultural myths, popular movies, and technological trends, the film demonstrates how our experiences in utero preoccupy us throughout our lives.
Experts in the fast-growing field of epigenetics explain that we are not only our genes but also a product of our environment, a proven fact that changes our perception of stress and exposures to the environment during pregnancy. The film looks at how these environmental effects are passed down through the generations through our genes, making it scientifically plausible that a traumatic event that affected your grandma could leave a mark on your genes.
The film reveals through extensive interviews with psychologists, psychiatrists and psychoanalysts that similar theories of prenatal life have been in play as early as the 1900s, and have gained traction ever since. In that sense, the hard sciences are only just beginning to catch up with what others have been saying for decades.
The film concludes with a look at emerging treatments for the unborn and their mothers. Through interviews with midwives and prenatal psychologists, a new field devoted to prenatal life comes into focus.
SPEAKERS
Film introduced by:
Introducing In Utero Ian Gibbins retired in 2014 after more than 30 years as a neuroscientist, including 20 years as Professor of Anatomy at Flinders University. He was internationally recognised for his research into the microscopic development, organisation and behaviour of the nerves communicating between the internal organs and the spinal cord. He taught extensively across the fields of embryology, neuroscience and functional anatomy, and introduced innovative educational approaches to the medical school curriculum. Ian is now a widely published poet, working across diverse domains including electronic music, video, performance, and public art installations, often in collaboration with other artists. He has published three books of poetry and has been a major contributor to three significant collaborative art-science exhibitions. www.facebook.com/IanGibbins.poetry.music.science 