The Human Trial (2022) Film Review

Lisa Hepner and Guy Mossman‘s The human test a documentary about a topic you’ve probably heard a lot about. In the hyper-connected world we live in, it is easy to access factual information about the health issues of the modern world. The information is accessible, which doesn’t mean you have to get the facts from a TikToker who awkwardly dances to the tune of death statistics.
On the other side of the spectrum, the film gives everyone a chance to combine facts with a more down-to-earth tone. Just as it should be. Staying within the confines of public health, it’s easy to say that movies like this are essential. Educationally, as well as cathartic.
Yet a film is rarely made from such an intimate point of view. The human test solid entry in a subgenre with many entries (Steve Ecclesine‘s Have you heard of Greg? another good recent example), each as important as the last. However, the way The human test paced and edited, it makes the experience strangely exciting, highly personal and utterly impactful. It’s a race against time, but based on an honest depiction of survival against the odds.
In The human test, the real superheroes of modern society are trying to save the world. And I’m not just talking about doctors. The film shows the lives of people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). From patients who want to be cured and from researchers who have found a way to get rid of the disease with stem cell treatment. They meet in the middle of a radical negotiation that could change the world.
The documentary is a very deep dive into the lives of patients who see themselves fading away (although diabetes is treatable and somehow controlled, every patient is different) as their bodies deteriorate while waiting for a cure, transplant or miracle. However, the film never goes for a filtered version of events. Have hope The human test it doesn’t come from a nice score or nice shots. In this film, miracles are born through human effort, financial confidence and emotional stability in the midst of chaos.
Hepner (who himself has type 1 diabetes) and Mossman have set out on a path that may change the lives of every person with diabetes. They are confident and that confidence makes the film that much better. The human test it gives a voice to patients who have submitted to a trial that may work but probably won’t be done anytime soon. One of the scenes in the film is terribly heartbreaking, as a patient confesses that his body is weakening.
The film has a scientific approach that is inevitably hopeful because the treatment might actually work. In theory, no. It actually works. An enlightening experience about brave women and men on the front line, each with a different role and human value. The bottom line is that everyone remains indispensable in the battle, regardless of their position in modern society. Yes, even the public is kindly informed about a disease that you hear about all the time. The human test it gives you that option, but it’s so well done that the connection is impossible to reject.