A review of the main German-language film that challenges misconceptions and misunderstandings around Bitcoin.
The human side of Bitcoin
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Legacy or mainstream cryptomedia were seldom explored. Even within the bitcoin space, bitcoin is a “numbers growing” technology, while catchphrases like “bitcoin to the moon” and “have fun staying power” rattle like coins in a jar
Bitcoin documentaries sensationalize bitcoin as a panacea for the world’s problems rather than micrographing the impact of bitcoin on the individuals who constitute the decentralized movement
Moreover, while the price per bitcoin has soared, ballooned and popped over the past five years, there is a steady stream of newcomers to the bitcoin space Human Be following the journey of a man named Jan who becomes a firm believer in bitcoin. The film revolves around the public, “ordinary citizens” who learn more about fiat or government-issued money during breaks between jobs.
Before the bitcoin journey, Jan was an editor and musician.
In the film, Jan explains that fiat money is “evil” because it is limitless. Fiat money is designed to reduce its purchasing power over time.
“At first I was quite annoyed because I thought, how is this possible? Why am I just casually thinking this when all the experts are wrong?”
The epiphany sends him spiraling down the proverbial Bitcoin rabbit hole, and he sets off on a journey to Miami, Florida. “I’m not the first person to hit the crowd, but I think it’s about something really important,” he admits.
Update: In the midst of crypto-winter, central banks have reconsidered digital currencies internally
The film also features interviews with many of the industry’s leading figures, including Mark Friedrich, the best-selling German author; Alessandro Ceceres of Venezuela, now marketing manager for Luxor; and bitcoin activist Anita Posh. This interview offers valuable insight into the motivations and goals of the people driving growth in the Bitcoin economy, as well as their thoughts on the future of this emerging technology
An artful, nuanced take that avoids slapdash cutaways of cliché, lazy pop culture memes, Michael Sellers, Max Keizer or Jack Mollers, directors Aaron Mucke and Eva Muhlenbaumer take a softer approach to story arcs in a gentle rhythm of wit, character and charisma Using Satoshi Nakamoto’s inventions come to life.
Pierre Corbin, a Bitcoin consultant and documentary filmmaker, shared his opinion of Human Bee with Cointelegraph : “I like how the startup reflects Bitcoin culture and the passion of people working in the space, all while being intellectual it’s shown for newbies who aren’t Maxis as well and understand bitcoin pop culture. I can show my family, and eventually they’ll understand why I’m passionate.”
Amidst the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film takes viewers from Germany to Austria to Mexico, and finally to Miami, where El Salvador’s bitcoin law is first announced and while the film focuses on the protagonist Jan, who slowly plans, then executes, Miami From the trip to the Bitcoin 2021 conference. The documentary combines quirky interviews with well-known German bitcoiners.
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Gigi, a pseudo-household name in bitcoin circles, pretends to be a giggly, eccentric man in a greenscreen suit. For those new to bitcoin, Gigi is a software engineer and bitcoin writer whose true identity is unknown.
Gigi in her element.
He bounces around the art studio, explaining complicated bitcoin concepts with murals. The German paints a bitcoin equation on a white wall, while sporting a chroma-key bodysuit, sunglasses fit for the Matrix remake and over-ear headphones he chuckles in front of the audience, explaining that bitcoin uses “meme warfare”.
Gigi sits in the Matrix chair, taking viewers through “meme wars.”
Elsewhere, a relaxed Anita Posch — another German-speaking bitcoin learner — details her love of using bitcoin in Africa. He tells personal stories while the camera follows his cycle through the rolling hills of Austria, like the story behind the bitcoin tattoo on his wrist. He explains that thunder–a nod to the lightning grid–means “energy,” when asked by people who don’t yet understand bitcoin.
Update: Going cashless: Norwegian digital currency project raises privacy questions
The tattoo scene is a neat clue to one of the film’s underlying messages: Bitcoin is misunderstood. Rooted beneath the headlines, mudslinging and memes that dominate the bitcoin space, the profound impact of bitcoin on human life is slowly coming to fruition from Senegal to El Salvador, from Switzerland to Indonesia that stories grace the world
