The mysterious case of Phineas Gage has changed and inspired thoughts on mental health, neuroscience, and behavior for over 100 years. For the first time on film, the inexplicable true story of Phineas Gage is brought to life. Set in Cavendish, Vermont, the tragedy of Gage is seen through the eyes of his physician, Dr. John Harlow. Life is interrupted the day that the affable Gage, a beloved railroad worker suffers an explosion that plunges a tamping rod weighing over 13 pounds through his skull. Miraculously, Dr. Harlow manages to save his life, but brain damage leaves Gage's world forever skewed. Harlow attempts to restore Gage's' outlook on life, while also struggling to explain the drastic personality shift to a town of people who, in 1848, do not understand the consequences of traumatic brain injury.
—Alyssa Roehrenbeck