Applause erupts as a man ambles to the center of a small, humble stage. The muffled cheers eventually fade away, and after addressing the audience, Robert Sinshiemer begins.

This man explains that from his travels through Arizona and Utah and upon looking at the gorges that reside there, he could “read a billion years of the history of the earth.” He could actually see and point out each layer of rock that was laid down that long ago until the present day. He then declares all of recorded history amounts to an inch, organized science a millimeter, and, most importantly, genetics as a few tens of microns.

Human Nature presents the debate around altering the next generation through microbial genome sequencing, which is explained as the unraveling of organisms’ DNA code. The documentary specifically goes into depth about CRISPR, a series of DNA codes that have unbelievable capabilities. This intricate topic is explained in this film along with its various uses from companies around the world, and scientists’ opinions. It shows you aspects of the history of genetics, the effects of disease, and more. It is a truly dense film — all of that is covered in under one hour and 30 minutes. Although complex, Human Nature offers numerous comprehensive perspectives on the prospects of science and what humanity will do if given control of human life.

Robert Sinsheimer’s speech is an unexpected start to a scientifically and existentially dense documentary. However, intimate footage from the California Institute of Technology from the 60s that introduces the documentary almost foreshadows the tone of awe that saturates the entire documentary. In the introduction, it does throw you through loops, showing you a formal speech juxtaposed against an intimate scene of a scientist working, all amongst haunting orchestral music, but this confusing sequence entices the viewer to figure out how this all exactly relates. This became almost habitual throughout the course of the movie: a sequence of different opinions, different examples, different lives, with your job to maintain that curiosity until it is all pulled together into one central theme. The quick changes in subject matter surprisingly require patience to withstand, but it definitely didn’t keep me from enjoying the film.

Human Nature is separated into six “chapters,” with each having its own title, like “Needle in a haystack,” “Playing God,” and “Brave New World,” amongst others. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the beginning scene of Robert Sinshiemer reading to audiences the chapters of the world’s history, all through a piece of sediment. The chapters each bring a final resolution that makes you exclaim “eureka!” because of how confused you were by the sheer amount of information being thrown at you.

The film’s pacing, visuals, soundtrack, and especially audio effects constitute the many moods that circulate through this film. I felt as if the director allowed all of these different types of feelings to be evoked to induce a sort of panic so he could shock us into paying attention. There are so many sides to the future of the human race, and, more shockingly, more people are acting upon their opinion on CRISPR already. It makes you worry: will children become customizable commodities? Will corporations really allow that? The answer? No one truly knows.

One of my favorite things about this film was its artificial visuals of DNA, bacteria, cells, and protein. For someone who isn’t well versed in science, I still understood the way that CRISPR, microbial genome sequencing, viruses, and other situations in science actually work. I specifically loved the black void the cells and DNA lived in: it almost made it seem like it was all in space. The slight pops and cracks of cells and DNA may seem unnecessary, but this shows in itself how far technology has come in terms of the detail of sound effects, and it was a detail that I was honestly preoccupied with for the majority of the movie.

Human Nature uses rhetoric and history that suggest opposing views, which is interesting, but these contradictions are also its key to being a truly unbiased film. The subject of eugenics is brought up, which is the study of how to optimize reproduction to create offspring with the most desirable inherited genetics possible, made infamous by Nazis during World War II. However, the movie also depicts a boy suffering from a harmful genetic disorder called Sickle Cell Anemia. There were parents who had lost their child from an illness within a matter of days in this film as well. It calls you to look inward, and make you decide what is morally right, which unsurprisingly induces anxiety in the viewer.

The complexity within this documentary made it so it was not an easy watch to simply enjoy. The pacing was quick, you can tell that they were trying to fit in as much information and perspectives as they could. This led me to have to replay scenes over and over again to fully grasp what was actually going on, which removed me from the experience from the documentary. However, if you’re not aiming to understand everything, or you grasp scientific concepts quickly, then this might not be an issue for you.

In conclusion, I believe that everyone should experience the chaos, the hopelessness, and the optimism that is Human Nature. For me, I think this documentary earns four out of five stars. It makes you question your morals, and it calls you to look inward at your prejudices and insecurities. It also calls you to look outward into the corruption, greed, innovation, and intelligence in society today. It’s such a fast-paced yet thought-provoking watch, with tasteful visuals, cinematography, and music. It’s definitely not for a casual Friday night, but it is vital for any future geneticist, humanitarian, or citizen to watch.