Don't Die: l'uomo che vuole vivere per sempre

How foolish of me, in retrospect, to have expected I might learn something interesting from this documentary. For its 90 minute run time, the actual salient facts of Bryan Johnson's longevity project come few and fast. He exercises an hour a day with three intensity sets a week. He's vegan. He takes a hundred or more "pills." Beyond this, the story focuses on his relationship with his son, a little about his past, and makes passing attempts to frame the controversy surrounding him (there isn't much) and to enter the conversation on public health.

I'd hoped to learn a bit more about what he's actually doing, what vitamins or pills he might be taking, but with only a couple of exceptions, this and many other facets of Johnson's project remained unknown. I realized that this is likely because those aspects are proprietary. This is Johnson's personal quest, but also his enterprise. So the "debate" over whether he is altruistic or some grifter seems answered by the nature of the documentary about him itself; to really know about the man who wants to live forever, just plug in your credit card number.

This is an interesting documentary, as much as it's interesting to watch someone unhealthily obsess over any part of their lives.

There are two key differences between this and a generic reality TV show you'd find on cable television: the first is that the subject of this documentary is selling products based on the brand described in the documentary, which is to say that he sells pseudo-science miracle cures for aging to impressionable people and uses this documentary to promote that; the second is that he is incredibly rich.

Bryan Johnson is another influencer that people errantly idolize. He started all of his venture capital companies with other partners, and he and his partners purchased--they did not found, nor create, but they bought out--Venmo, which made them nearly all of their money. Us Americans tend to distill one great feat of capitalism down to a single person, as if it's possible for all of us to become that person. Steve Jobs did not create the computer, Elon Musk did not create Tesla, Thomas Edison did not discover electricity, and George Washington didn't write the Declaration of Independence, but people like to think they did because making it big is what we're taught to idolize.

Bryan has written children's books about living forever using the pseudo-science presented in this documentary. The concept of scientific study means you need to be able to demonstrate verifiable, reproduceable results for your theorem before it can become factual. Taking hormones, going through plasma transfusions, and the myriad other ways that Bryan claims to be extending his life are without basis in scientific fact and may actually be harmful to others. Bryan also forgets that GENETICS are the largest factor in life expectancy, and anything he does will only increase the likelihood that he lives as long as maximum longevity as determined by GENETICS. To sell treatments that claim otherwise is akin to peddling snake oil.

This documentary was extremely interesting insofar as it brings light to someone who suffers from mental health issues. A large number of people fear death, but Bryan takes his pursuit to an extreme that is debatably unhealthy for anyone. He exhibits obsessive-compulsive behaviors and follows such a strict regimen as to make his daily life look intolerable and unsustainable for anyone with a sound mind.

His depression and Fear Of Missing Out are both saddening. He devotes so much time and money to futile and sometimes fruitless endeavors to make himself live forever, when he could be using that time and money to enjoy his life more.

No living organism has ever truly been actively alive forever (tardigrade cryptobiosis doesn't count as being actively alive). The REAL way to live forever is to develop a LEGACY that perpetuates after your death. The IDEA of Bryan Johnson could achieve immortality if he used his money to help cure cancer, end homelessness, and so on. This is the immortality that many people before him have realized.

If there's anything I got from this movie, it's this: I worry that Bryan will waste the remainder of his life seeking something that cannot be obtained. He will have regrets as he dies. The most unfortunate part is that he is an INFLUENCER. The idea of living forever is APPEALING TO MANY, and thus many people will buy into his philosophies and miracle drugs, only to be led astray. Even if Bryan genuinely believes he is helping people, I fear that promoting treatments that are not scientifically backed on such a wide scale will only cause more harm than good.

I found this documentary interesting enough and valuable in that it fleshed out the life and times of a public figure that I had only known through derisive online content about his plasma transfusions with his son.

The production quality was good and I felt as though there was an earnest attempt to approach the subject matter in an even-handed fashion, as a good documentary should.

The problem for me is that it actually fails in that attempt and ends up feeling like an advertisement for the delusions of a deeply wounded and narcissistic person. This documentary fell short in critically examining who Bryan is and why he is doing what he does.

My key measurement of a documentary's quality is whether or not it is trying to sell something. I believe the film makers did a good job of not promoting Bryan's quest. Instead, it was more informative about a very unique, if not odd lifestyle. This got it to a five, but ultimately it was just too creepy for me to give it any more.

Bryan has quite a few hang ups, and this seemed to be the focus of the second half of the film. I'm glad he has found a way to cope with his depression, loneliness, and lack of interpersonal skills - especially since he only has a few hundred million in the bank.

Ultimately, I found him creepy, narcissistic, and (ironically) very unhealthy looking! He kinda reminds me of the movie character "Powder".

Notice how often he appears shirtless.

Total sideshow attraction.

I started this documentary fully expecting it to be a straightforward exposé of a wellness influencer/biohacker or perhaps another commentary piece on the prevalence of snake oil in today's health and wellness industry.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find a well-executed, evenhanded, authentic documentary about a uniquely disciplined, emotionally nuanced human-being relentless in his pursuit of immortality yet open about his struggles with loneliness and depression.

The doc goes far beyond the oft cringe content and polished veneer he shares on social media, providing the viewer with an intimate window into Bryan's origin story, his monastic yet luxurious existence, and perhaps most compelling, his endearing relationship with his son and his parents. I came away with a new respect and understanding for him as a person. Well worth the watch.