Anatomy 4 (ATOM Study Guide)

Stomach, Brain and Soul are the most recent of the twelve films in the Anatomy series.

The Anatomy films are half-hour documentaries that explore the way artists and performers deal with the subject of sex, identity and the human body.

Although thematically linked, each film is a complete story in itself – sometimes funny, sometimes shocking and often deeply moving. Ultimately, the entire series is designed to give us an overview of how the body works as a driving force in the creative process.

Rather than being a collection of artist profiles, Anatomy is a narrative-driven series. The films are concerned with telling engaging and compelling stories that touch upon a wide range of human experience and emotion beyond the boundaries of traditional arts documentaries.

The ambition of the filmmakers is to cross over from an arts audience into a broader general audience. One of the ways the films achieve this is through their focus on relationships.

Curriculum guidelines

These three short films – Stomach, Brain and Soul – would be enjoyed by middle and senior secondary and tertiary students in the following study areas: Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy, Ethics, Health and Personal Development, and Cinema and Media Studies, as well as Visual Arts (Photography, Design and Studio Arts). As many of the issues raised in these films relate to how we represent the world and our identity through artistic expression, they would also be a valuable resource for initiating discussion in senior English classes.