Something Unknown

Something Unknown is a documentary about the science behind psychic phenomena. Using interview clips in varying degrees of visual quality with scientists involved in psychic research, the film-makers attempt to persuade the viewer into believing in psychic research with 'proof' of varying degrees of quality. Investigating into the 'Big 5' realms of psychic phenomena, telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and psychic healing; spoonbending and psychic detectives get lumped in with global correlations in random data experiments with varying degrees of believability. People wave their hands around in a mystical fashion, and people occasionally say scientific words like 'photons'. I remain unconvinced; especially when the film-makers open with a clip of obvious sleight-of-hand and end with a bit of Oliver Stone-esque propaganda where an image of the word 'miracle' is inserted as the narrator speaks about belief and placebo. Overall, I found Something Unknown to be 19th-century spiritualism gussied up in 21st-century clothing.