John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office

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John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office

Mar 2026

1h 29m

Documentary

Biography

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Popcornmeter

70%

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10 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The daring experimenter Dr. John C. Lilly dedicated his life to radical self-investigation and unlocking the mysteries of consciousness and communication. "My body is my laboratory" was the motto, and his research on the language of dolphins and whales -- as well as psychedelics and sensory deprivation -- assured his own cult status in 20th-century pop culture as the basis for Ken Russel's Altered States and Mike Nichols's The Day of the Dolphin. Directors Michael Almareyda and Courtney Stephens, along with narrator Chloë Sevigny, explore the life of a determined scientist and his experiments into the psychonautical unknown.

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Clint Worthington

RogerEbert.com

Mar 27, 2026

3/4

Even as it grows monotonous, its consistent tone is hypnotic in its own way.

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Glenn Dunks

reDocumented

May 24, 2026

For one reason or another, I never really clicked into this documentary, framed as it is as irreverent and kooky more than deeply disturbed.

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Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

May 8, 2026

The somewhat impenetrable story of an impenetrable man, but fans of odd corners of the counterculture will find much to appreciate.

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Charles Solomon

FilmWeek (LAist)

May 7, 2026

A crack film about a crackpot... Why was anybody paying any attention to this man when everything he was saying was so clearly bilge?

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Steve Erickson

Arts Fuse

Apr 13, 2026

John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office is a work of sober observation.

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Mark Dujsik

Mark Reviews Movies

Apr 2, 2026

3/4

Lilly remains an utterly fascinating and deeply strange man, and this documentary shows several sides of both of those qualities.

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Chris R

@ChrisRiker May 16, 2026

A fascinating subject, a troubled man, an editor and sound designer who should be keel-hauled. Even as this documentary draws you in with the ongoing quest to communicate with dolphins, it pushes you away with audio so grating on the nerves as to make you want to turn the sound off. Some of it may be dolphin sounds (hard to tell), but a lot is "hey, this is 60s druggy noise and music!!!" And then there's the unexplained use of clips from trippy movies. Lilly was involved in two of them... but, why are we seeing clips from The Monkees' Head and Planet of the Apes and 2001? Because they're trippy, man!! Ugh. Just tell this fascinating story. I hope someone does a better version.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 27, 2026

Real footage in 1 hour and 29 minutes. All ages admitted.

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Michael Almereyda

Director

Courtney Stephens

Director

Alejandro Jodorowsky

Actor

Chloë Sevigny

Narrator

Michael Almereyda

Writer

Courtney Stephens

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Synopsis

The daring experimenter Dr. John C. Lilly dedicated his life to radical self-investigation and unlocking the mysteries of consciousness and communication. "My body is my laboratory" was the motto, and his research on the language of dolphins and whales -- as well as psychedelics and sensory deprivation -- assured his own cult status in 20th-century pop culture as the basis for Ken Russel's Altered States and Mike Nichols's The Day of the Dolphin. Directors Michael Almareyda and Courtney Stephens, along with narrator Chloë Sevigny, explore the life of a determined scientist and his experiments into the psychonautical unknown.

Director: Michael Almereyda, Courtney Stephens
Producer: Taylor Hess, Jesse Miller, Michael Almereyda, Courtney Stephens
Screenwriter: Michael Almereyda, Courtney Stephens, Michael Almereyda, Courtney Stephens
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: Subtle Body Films
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 27, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 29m

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