Watch the Trailer for “Oliver Sacks: His Own Life,” About the Famed Doctor

As someone notes in the trailer, Oliver Sacks was one of the first doctors to explain and discuss diseases with the general public in a way they could understand. That profoundly changed treatment in the United States, where Sacks spent his career. Born and raised in England, he spent most of his adult life studying neurology and the brain, writing about its intricacies, as well his life and his opinions on the world. His 1973 book Awakenings became an Oscar-nominated film starring Robin Williams as Sacks.

The documentary covers his childhood - including his schizophrenic brother - up to the end of his life, where he was still active and writing. While the talking heads in the trailer don't have an unkind word to say, Sacks still had to battle homophobia and a medical establishment that didn't always care for his boat-rocking ways.

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life will open at Film Forum in New York City (once it's safe), followed by a limited theatrical release and virtual cinema through Kino Lorber's Marquee platform.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.