‘Come on now – dig around in that noggin and save everything that’s worth saving.’
Facing the daunting realities of a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, Case Jernigan, a US artist based in Italy, turned to art to make sense of his new reality, including the mobility and cognitive difficulties to come. For Jernigan, creativity became a way to process his fear and uncertainty. His heartfelt hybrid animation and live-action short Noggin is the result.
Far more than a record of doctor visits, shifting symptoms and inevitable lows, the film is, above all, a testament to love. Layer by layer, Jernigan pieces together drawings, spilled ink, paper cutouts, puppets and personal footage – including video messages from loved ones – to help his future self navigate what he calls ‘the river of forgetfulness’. Ultimately, this collection of his life’s greatest hits, both big and small, forms an exuberant tribute to the people who fill his days, the act of creating, and life in all its fleeting, fragile beauty.
