‘Human B’ shows a personal journey with Bitcoin

The human side of Bitcoin (BTC) is seldom explored in legacy or mainstream crypto media outlets. Even within the Bitcoin space, Bitcoin is “number goes up” technology, while catchphrases like “Bitcoin to the moon” and “have fun staying poor” rattle around like coins in a jar. 

Bitcoin documentaries tend to sensationalize Bitcoin as a panacea to the world’s problems instead of offering nuanced portrayals of Bitcoin’s impact on the individuals who form the decentralized movement.

Moreover, while the price per Bitcoin has inflated, ballooned and popped over the past five years, a steady stream of new people is flowing into the Bitcoin space. Human B follows the journey of a man named Jan as he becomes a resolute Bitcoin believer. The film hovers around Jan, the “normal citizen” who, during a break between jobs, starts to learn more about fiat, or government-issued, money.

In the film, Jan explains that fiat money is “bad” because it’s limitless. Fiat money is designed to lose its purchasing power over time. 

“I was extremely irritated at first because I thought, how is this possible? Why am I just casually discovering this while 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 to run into a crowd,” he concedes, but “I feel that this is about something really crucial.”

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The film also interviews a number of key figures in the industry, including Marc Friedrich, a best-selling German author; Alessandro Ceceres, a Venezuelan who is now marketing manager at Luxor; and Anita Posch, a Bitcoin activist. These interviews provide valuable insights 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 artsy, nuanced take that avoids cliché, lazy pop culture memes and slapdash cutaways to soundbites of Michael Saylor, Max Keiser or Jack Mallers, directors Aaron Mucke and Eva Mühlenbäumer take a soft approach to the story arc. At a gentle rhythm, the story uses wit, character and charisma to give life to Satoshi Nakamoto’s invention.

Pierre Corbin, a Bitcoin consultant and documentary maker shared his opinion on Human B with Cointelegraph: “I liked how the beginning…