In Life Illuminated, a marine biologist witnesses an unprecedented sight that no one else has observed before.

      While watching A Life Illuminated, the beautiful new documentary featuring marine biologist Dr. Edith Widder, I couldn't help but recall a scene from the 1997 film Contact, where Jodie Foster portrays an astronaut who witnesses a stunning celestial event that is beyond words. At a loss for how to express it, she remarks, "They should have sent a poet."

      Forty years ago, when Widder made her first descent in a submersible to search for bioluminescent marine life, a poet indeed accompanied her. Throughout her extensive career, Widder has focused on studying deep-sea light, and when she initially observed brilliant flashes of light from ocean creatures deep beneath the waves, she metaphorically described the experience as “like the Fourth of July.”

      Other marine biologists teased her about this: Really? Underwater fireworks? But she took it all in stride.

      Teasing and worse were not unfamiliar to her.

      In the documentary, which was shown on Saturday at the Woods Hole Film Festival, director Tasha Van Zandt describes how Widder's long career included being the sole woman aboard ships whose crews (and scientists) held onto outdated maritime superstitions against having a woman on board.

      Later, when Widder aimed to be the first scientist to record footage of a giant squid in its natural habitat, her approach was initially dismissed as too far-fetched. Until it ultimately succeeded.

      A Life Illuminated chronicles Widder’s efforts to reveal to the world the bioluminescent organisms—creatures that produce light from their bodies—that she encountered in a submersible four decades ago.

      The film's primary conflict revolves around the fact that the spectacular display she saw could not be captured on camera at that time. Therefore, A Life Illuminated predominantly showcases her years of efforts, aided by continuously advancing technology, to unveil what she witnessed more than 40 years ago.

      I won’t spoil the film for you, but I can affirm that it’s definitely worth watching. Anyone who views A Life Illuminated will be treated to some captivating cinematography.

      The narrative is anything but dull. At one point, Widder finds herself hundreds of feet down in a deep-sea submersible when she suddenly realizes it is taking on water.

      The Woods Hole Film Festival and A Life Illuminated

      Samuel Harp, WHOI’s vice president for advancement and chief marketing officer, speaks before a screening of A Life Illuminated. Courtesy of Woods Hole Film Festival

      The Woods Hole Film Festival was perhaps the ideal venue to view the film. Woods Hole, a small village in Cape Cod, is renowned worldwide as the home of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The longstanding partnership between WHOI and the festival includes hosting many of its screenings.

      Outside WHOI’s Redfield Auditorium, where A Life Illuminated was screened Saturday night, are parts of the Alvin, the renowned submersible launched in 1964 that has since been used for deep-sea missions, including the exploration of the Titanic wreck. (The Alvin remains operational; the components outside the Redfield have been updated.)

      Widder is based in Florida but has strong ties to Woods Hole and Massachusetts. A Bay State native, she visited in 2022 for a discussion with Samuel Harp, WHOI’s vice president for advancement and chief marketing officer, during which she shared footage that would eventually appear in A Life Illuminated.

      Harp and Woods Hole Film Festival founder and executive director Judy Lasker spoke before the screening about the connection between the institute and the festival.

      A Life Illuminated was featured as part of the film festival’s Bringing Science to the Screen initiative, which showcases films that educate audiences about the world around them.

      On Saturday, the initiative added a touch of poetry to the screen as well.

      You can read more about the Woods Hole Film Festival here, and find more coverage of the festival here.

      Main image: Dr. Edith Widder, right, in A Life Illuminated. Courtesy of the Woods Hole Film Festival.