Watch: Self Interacting Dark Matter, A Short Film About the Mysterious Nature of the Universe — and Ourselves

What exactly is dark matter that makes up 85 percent of the universe’s mass? What does it have to do with us? Self Interacting Dark Matter is a short film that explores these questions, following an astrophysicist’s journey to understand dark matter while confronting the gravity of her inner world. Through their collaboration, film writer, director and editor Na’ama Keha and Flatiron Institute Research Fellow Lucia Perez reflect on the elusive nature of dark matter and the human curiosity to know — and feel — more deeply. Self Interacting Dark Matter pairs stunning, poetic visuals and sounds to delve into the complexities of what we know and don’t know about the universe, and ourselves.

The film, which you can stream now, was made as part of Symbiosis, a two-week program that pairs six scientists with six filmmakers. Each pair is tasked with creating short, boundary-pushing films. This year’s Symbiosis program is a component of the Simons Foundation’s Researcher Engagement program, an initiative of the foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.

Learn more and stream all the films here.