Join us for a special 35mm screening of cypberpunk sci-fi  classic The Matrix, with an introduction by Dr Steve Kelly on what neuroscience tells us about Free Will… screening as part of Falkirk Science Festival.

 “You take the blue pill, the story ends,  you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”  Thus Keanu Reeves’ computer programmer Neo is enlisted by a band of rebels – led by Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus – who are battling to break free from the Matrix… a computer-generated simulation of reality controlling humankind. 

 The Wachowskis' cult film remains as breath-taking as when it was released over 20-years-ago, with its stunning, Japanese martial-arts-influenced fight sequences and ground-breaking  "bullet time" visual effects.  Dr Kelly’s talk will examine scientific efforts at thinking about and researching consciousness, evaluate whether we fool ourselves a lot of the time, and will maybe leave us wondering if, since the beginning of time, we had no choice but to attend this film, this evening.

“The deliciously inventive Wachowskis have delivered the syntax for a new kind of movie: technically mind-blowing style merged perfectly with content and just so damn cool.  ««««« ”  Empire Magazine

Dir. The Wachowski Brothers (Lilly Wachowski,Lana Wachowski) / US / 1999 / 2h 16m + introduction

With: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano

Dr Stephen Kelly is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Strathclyde.