The Glorious Spectacle of HUMAN PROGRAMMING is the second film I have reviewed from the fine folks at Brain Dagger Films. Their movies have a unique and fast-paced style of information dissemination, and this is the next step in the evolution of their work. It’s a deep dive into why we as humans do what we do and believe what we believe. Its prime tenant is that our environment programs us. Starting from a young age, family, friends, religion, and school shape our beliefs without ever having an original idea of our own.
When the film opens, we are watching a television station that is flipping between its various programs, including the popular morning show Good Day, Cleveland, and another show starting Chet, who created a new AI program named Delishus. Soon, Delishus fires poor Chet and takes over. This is where the formal documentary begins as Delishus explores how our programmed beliefs vary across the world and how misunderstandings and emotional responses fuel conflict around the world.
The Glorious Spectacle of HUMAN PROGRAMMING is very dense with not only information but also dense in how that information is conveyed. In the first Brain Dagger film I reviewed, As Organism, the information in the film was presented like an MTV music video. It moves quickly with a narrator presenting information using stock video images to support its thesis.
“…a deep dive into why we as humans do what we do and believe what we do.”
The film is done similarly, and along with satirical television stations and stock videos, Brain Dagger filmmakers employ a significant supply of AI-generated videos made for the doc. Much of it serves as a transition between the real world and generative A.I. The movie has many intriguing and provocative ideas about how our beliefs are ingrained in us in our youth and how they alter and evolve over time. The film includes a video of scholar Scott Selisker discussing how media and technology also shape our thoughts and actions.
My criticism of The Glorious Spectacle of HUMAN PROGRAMMING is its denseness. The documentary moves fast, and you need to engage with it from the very beginning, or you’ll get lost. When so much information is laid out like this, it’s easy for the entire documentary to feel conspiratorial, which may be the point. Still, you have to really work to get to the end.
The Glorious Spectacle of HUMAN PROGRAMMING is an ambitious and thought-provoking documentary that challenges us to examine why we believe what we believe. Brain Dagger Film’s techniques may not be for everyone, yet the film’s point is worth wrestling with in the end.
"…our environment programs us."
