HUMAN is an epic record of the struggles and triumphs that unite us all, taking viewers on a global journey to uncover fundamental truths about what it means to be human. Using more than 2,000 interviews conducted in 60 countries, director Yann Arthus-Bertrand manages to articulate the collective human experience in all its forms – from deeply personal and hurtful stories about poverty, domestic violence and fear to stories about love, Joy and the thrill of being alive.
One such theme is love, a phenomenon that has driven and defined human experience since the dawn of time. “Love is a soulful thing,” asserts one of the film’s female subjects. “My husband has two wives,” admitted another. You’ll see some test subjects with tears in their eyes because love brings meaning to their lives. Others argue that love must coexist with sex to thrive, while an older gentleman admits he gave up on finding a lover long ago and has yet to find one, even at an advanced age. Human sexuality is celebrated and explored in all its diversity and is considered an extension of our basic and universal need for connection. “It’s not the gender of the people I love that defines me,” one theme poignantly states. “The quality of my love defines who I am.”
Arthus-Bertrand has an unobtrusive presence throughout the film. He simply creates a safe and welcoming environment in which his camera can capture a range of candid responses to often challenging and very intimate subjects. As a result, viewers realize that the need to share and be understood is another important unifying trait of our species. Many of its themes are stark geographical, economic or social contrasts, but the film allows us to see their similarities and celebrate their differences. Viewers can glimpse themselves in each of them.
In a time when violent conflict seems to dominate every corner of the world, Humanity is a refreshing reminder of the bonds that bind us all.
