How real is the external world? How valid are our memories? Could we ever go back in time? Are there parallel universes out there? What happens when we are touched by the famous Butterfly Effect? Are we really the people we think we are? Are we truly in control of our own minds?

From quantum theory to chaos theory, from Freud and Jung to neurobiology, from manipulated memories to parallel universes, our sense of reality has been sent reeling. And where is this most vividly experienced? When “dreaming in the dark” in a movie theater.

A Flickering Reality is an exciting journey into the world of films as they reflect our changing experience of human consciousness and explore what lies beneath the surface reality of the cosmos. The book explores the most exciting, creative and mind-expanding movies of the last decades: movies that stretch our vision of reality to the limit.

F. David Peat, a former theoretical physicist, is the author of over twenty books, from childhood he has been fascinated by the world of cinema. His favourite film is Fellini’s 8 1/2.

Author comment:
“This book was a real joy to write. First it was a challenge to show the different ways in which our sense of reality and of ourselves has changed, but also to find examples of films that give you the direct experience. But all that sounds a little serious—the real fun was revisiting so many of my favorite films, seeing the classics again and during the process of writing realizing that many new films were coming out that needed to be included such as Inception and Shutter Island. But the writing just had to end one day otherwise the manuscript would never have reached the printers and so I am sorry that Black Swan never made it!! My hope is that those who read the book will be encouraged to look at some of these exceptional films and gain the same enjoyment that I did.”