Don't Die examines Bryan Johnson's determined attempt to resist ageing. Chris Smith follows an entrepreneur whose substantial resources support an extraordinarily controlled life of routines, testing and experimental treatments. The documentary makes that pursuit fascinating without treating its claims as settled proof of immortality.
The quiet, close filmmaking allows daily details to acquire weight. Exercise, appointments and precise schedules build a picture of a life organised around a single aim. The intensity becomes apparent through repetition rather than constant dramatic explanation.
The emotional and social costs are just as important as the physical programme. Family members and colleagues express both fascination and concern. Their accounts suggest the distance that can grow around someone whose choices are governed so strictly by the attempt to preserve life.
The film also raises questions about resources and priorities. What does longevity mean when the means of pursuing it are distributed so unequally? It leaves room for reflection rather than delivering a finished answer.
I appreciate the balance of fascination and critical distance. Reported measurements and Johnson's ambitions are presented alongside what he gives up. The portrait is more interesting for those tensions than it would be as an advertisement for his routine.
It is an absorbing documentary about mortality, control and the value of the time one is trying to extend. Its intimate form and human concerns give an unusual subject emotional depth. Watching it does not require accepting every claim made for the programme.