Hypochondria of the Heart | short film (2013)

"Longing for a home that no longer exists or perhaps has never existed" - Svetlana Boym

From a 17th century medical illness to a permanent modern condition, nostalgia fell through the cracks of academic disciplines becoming a hypochondria of the heart to be treated by poets and artists. Weaving together various new and archival materials, the film delves into the art of remembering and the neuroscience of memory, prompting us to ask what is that we see when we reminisce - the past, a theater or the work of art of our own memory? This poetic meditation on nostalgia focuses around Harvard professor, artist and immigrant Svetlana Boym. Creating art that tells of the longing for a home that no longer exists or perhaps has never existed, Svetlana builds meaning from fragments of memory, taking the audience on a journey through the art and science of nostalgia, celebrating the past layers and sediments of stories surrounding us.

Directed by Janna Kyllästinen

Select screenings Imagine Science Film Festival | Labocine | INTE Festival Cinema Indipendente Roma | Bushwick Open Studios