O Homem que Quer Viver para Sempre

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.

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 8 for me because rarely has a documentary been more revealing through what it does not elucidate, namely the deep insecurities of Bryan Johnson and all the things he hides from the world, including himself - his shadow self. "I'm a disaster of an intelligent being..." and "I don't fear death..." were his words in this documentary, whose title reads, "The man who wants to live forever". This is a person full of contradictions and unaware of his blind spots. He might succeed in being the first man to live beyond 120 years of age, but die eventually he will.

The origin of Johnson's death anxiety began in his burnout in his mid- to late-thirties, which brought him face-to-face with his shadow self and led him to question his existence and relationship with the LDS church. Perhaps he realised there has to be more to life than being stressed out 24/7 as a tech entrepreneur, and he found no pleasure in his roles as a husband, a father, a son and a Mormon. At the peak of his existential crisis, he experienced severe depression and suicidal ideation. It was a complete obliteration of the self that he had known.

But who was Bryan Johnson if he wasn't a Mormon, a husband, a father, a son and a tech entrepreneur? His identity was built on those very foundations, but they were also the building blocks to his despair. He felt he had no other choice but to leave the church and his community, and he probably feared the punishment of hell that is promised to the unfaithful like him. That could be the beginning of his obsession with extending his life as best he could, so that he can delay purgatory.

All this is merely my hypothesis, of course. For a documentary so fixated with longevity, it was telling that the focus was purely on physical health, with absolutely no exploration of mental well-being, other than a brief acknowledgement of the importance of social connection and community by Johnson himself. It seemed like a deliberate effort on his part not to discuss his burnout, depression, exit from Mormonism and its repercussions because he desired to avoid painful emotions and memories.

The Don't Die enterprise is fuelled by Johnson's need to carve out a new identity and fulfill his fantasy of cheating death at all cost, while avoiding the difficult topics of self-fidelity, self-compassion and self-acceptance (all three of which Johnson is no closer to achieving). Living a healthy lifestyle through minimising stress, eating nutritious food, exercising regularly and having adequate sleep is no news to anyone in the 21st century. Unlike Johnson and his acolytes, many in the world simply don't have such luxury because they are busy working in terrible conditions in poor countries, making goods for those like him and his followers, who never seem content no matter how much they already have. As guaranteed as his mortality is, Johnson can never outrun his shadow.

I have been interested in Brian Johnson and find the science behind longevity fascinating, but unfortunately the documentary failed to hold my attention. The documentary starts with how the press found Brian, the subsequent whirlwind and how the project started. Then they start talking about his son and what colleges he is going to and start deviating down the road of who else is showing up to interview Brian.

At least as far as I got, the documentary seemed more focused on Brian, the initial press whirlwind, shirtless shots, random tidbits about his life, a naked photoshoot of Brian, negative press headlines, and then random people showing up to interview him. It barely touched on the science or efficacy of any of what he was doing or the implications and unfortunately the show just fell flat. The documentary was more focused on peoples reactions, and Brian shirtless, than anything of substance about living longer. I think there is probably a good way to make a documentary about Brian and Blueprint but this just wasnt it. Maybe it gets better after 25 minutes but I just couldnt do it.

My brother spells his name Brian. I feel same way about our subject. It's too much. I've listened to several podcasts about him - one with Dania says he has the last meal by 2:30 PM or around there. He takes all these vitamins, works out, avoids sun, eats a spartan diet, gets gene therapy and many aesthetic procedures, etc. The list goes on. He was never clear on his hair which is obviously colored so he hasn't nailed that anti aging remedy.

At one point he compared himself to Jesus. Please don't and I suggest you visit Luries child cancer ward and let the parents know if only they would take vitamin supplements and eat healthy their kids would be fine. You would quickly realize your ideas only work on already healthy people. You live in a bubble and that comment really showed that. You need to live beyond the borders of your house and the meet ups you coordinate.

It's nice you're close to your Son. It appears the only relationships you've kept are with those who "get" you. Real life doesn't have that luxury. I suppose if we were very rich we could do that too which would lower stress. But would we be living? You have not given proof that your life is as fulfilling as those outside the bubble. And the obvious swapping of a rigid religious belief system for a healthy belief system? Madonna already did that!

Good luck to the next lucky girl. Bed by 8, last meal by 2, no beach, all hail darkness. Bryan missed his chance to star in Twilight. Or interview with a vampire!