Most people know neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks as the bestselling author who made the science of the brain fascinating for the masses. But Sacks’ life was so much richer — and more challenging — than that short bio suggests, as director Ric Burns masterfully uncovers in this insightful and moving documentary. Spun from 80 hours of interviews with Sacks conducted after a cancer diagnosis left him with only months to live, and supplemented by archival footage and commentary from his friends, colleagues and patients, the film gets at the heart of Sacks’ extraordinary time on earth. Amiable, warm and engaging, Sacks is his own best witness to a life beset by struggle with his sexuality and in gaining the respect of a skeptical medical establishment, but also one of breakthroughs and triumphs, personal as well as professional. Oliver Sacks: His Own Life is a rich, engaging testament to a giant of our age who reveals himself as achingly, vulnerably human.

Director Ric Burns is expected to be in attendance on January 9 and 11.