“Citizen Bio”: The life of bio-hacker Aaron Traywick (and friends)
“Citizen Bio”, directed by Trish Dolman, premiered on Showtime Friday Oct. 30, and tells the story of five “bio-hackers”, including Aaron Traywick, the 28-year-old “transhumanist” visionary who was found dead in a sensory deprivation tank at age 28, from drowning, and apparently a drug overdose, in 2018. (This brings to mind the 1980 film “Altered States” with William Hurt, directed by Ken Russell, written by Paddy Chayefsky, Warner Brothers, micro review.)
Transhumanism as a movement aims to enhance human longevity or biological capabilities with science and unusual interventions.
The most charismatic of his cohorts was Tristan Roberts, who injected himself with “gene therapy” cocktails as a cure for HIV. The credits indicated that his second injection did result in side effects. You do wonder if some of their efforts could be useful to treat or prevent coronavirus.
Also featured are Anastasia Synn and her husband The Amazing Jonathan.
The early part of the film shows some “hackers” self-applying bizarre implants into their forearms (sometimes shaving first), and scalps or foreheads.
Later there is a scene where Aaron himself, in coat and tie, takes off his suit trousers to inject his thigh on camera in front of an audience.
Ford Fischer, who owns the journalism channel News2Share in Washington DC, provides about ten minutes of footage and appears twice. He has an indiegogo project for a documentary “Transhuman“. I think Peter Thiel has been associated with the movement (and the idea of super-longevity).
There have been other proposals to radically alter the human body, with artificial skin (early link – also see hand plant implant July 25, 2017 on that blog).
Above: trailer for Altered States, 1980, with Ken Russell
Name: “Citizen Bio“
Director, writer: Trish Dolman
Released: 2020/10/30
Format: 2.35:1
When and how viewed: Showtime, Cox service, 2020/10/30
Length: 95
Rating: NA
Companies: Showtime
Link: official
Stars: ****_
(Posted: Saturday, October 31, 2020 at 10:30 AM EDT)