I Am Human

Everyone uses stairways. Stair ways on wheels, stairways that are flat, tiny stairsways. One of the stairways that wasn't featured, the ocean stairway, was red. This wasnt a real stairway, but instead imagined. An individual imagins someone leaving the ocean on these red stairs, climbing to the top and waiting at the top.

I don't usually publish IMDB reviews, but after seeing this film at the Tribeca Film Festival I felt compelled to share my thoughts.

I Am Human is a documentary that ostensibly tells the story of three medical patients and their experiences with state-of-the-art neurotechnology. However, the film really shines when exploring the marriage of many of today's hot button themes: Technology, Medicine, Ethics, Entertainment, and Psychology.

The film features key contributions from thought leaders including Bryan Johnson, who is the CEO of Kernal and a pioneering entrepreneur in neurotechnology, and Nita Farahanu, who is a Professor of Law & Philosophy at Duke University. The film seamlessly moves between the three patients and industry experts, so that the audience gradually understands the risks and benefits of the emerging technology as the patients learn the same.

This is the rare documentary where the technical contributions match the narrative contributions. The cinematography, editing, and score were all fantastic and made me feel like I was watching a big-budget medical thriller instead of a thoughtful documentary. As an added bonus, the film is directed by two vibrant young women. Their intelligence and passion was infectious and obvious through each segment of the film, even before they participated in a live Q&A session after the film.

As my personal methodology, I only award films a maximum 10/10 score if they hit me in both the head and the heart. That is, if they make me both think and feel deeply. I Am Human checks those boxes and more. It is the first film in a few years where I left with zero criticisms, yet many questions. I do not expect my questions to be answered for several years, until neurotechnology enters our homes and lives, but I wait with both excitement and fear over how the technology could change our understanding of what it means to be "human."

I Am Human is a masterpiece. It should not be limited to film festivals and deserves a wider release. If I had watched this film during high school or college, then I would have strongly considered focusing my studies on neurotechnology. Highly recommended.

Until this documentary, the merging of man and machine had traditionally been relegated to science fiction. I Am Human gives us a close up view into the rapid advancements in neurotech, and previews what our post-human future looks like.

Highly recommend watching

This is a well made documentary which focuses on the breakthroughs of deep brain stimulation. However, I find the documentary rather one sided, presenting only the positives of the breakthroughs. Hence, I regard this as an infomercial rather than a real documentary.

This film felt like a sci-fi documentary, but the fact that it was REAL made it even more exciting. It was both hopeful, and lovingly put together. I've already watched it TWICE!