Taking the concept of Gestalt art therapy to a spectacular level, Mindy Alper’s exuberant artworks breathe life directly into the spaces they inhabit. Alper’s extraordinary sculptures, drawings, and paintings reveal her singularity as an artist who has lived her entire life with a mental disorder. Alper is honest, self-critical, insightful, and sweetly funny in talking about her family, her daily routine, and her growth as an artist, daughter, and friend. Director Frank Stiefel gives Alper ample room to voice her thoughts in interviews and most of all through her works, which animate the screen with intensity and deep emotion. In a compelling portrait of an innovative artist who must constantly strive to maintain her equilibrium and express herself through speech that doesn’t come easily, this message comes through with clarity: life is chaotic, and creativity fosters love.  DP

Filmmaker Q&A following screening