In early June, the online cinema KION premiered the documentary 'The Chip Inside Me' about people with implanted chips. While Russia is heatedly discussing the possibility of controlling people through chips in the brain, director Yulia Kiselyova fou...

Director Yulia Kiselyova specializes in popular science films for a wide audience. Her portfolio includes projects about robots, the human brain, and ambulance doctors. In her new study titled 'The Chip Inside Me', she decided to tackle a burning topic — human 'chipping.' But for Kiselyova's protagonists, this is not about a penchant for experiments or a love of new technologies, but a way to stay alive.

What is commonly called a chip in layman's terms is referred to as an 'implant' in medicine. With its help, doctors restore hearing to deaf patients, relieve people with Parkinsonism from tremors, stop epileptic seizures, and treat dystonia. It is precisely these kinds of challenges that Yulia Kiselyova's protagonists faced: some due to age, some from birth, and others as a result of various unfortunate situations.

For example, Yana Linkevich has improperly functioning muscles (muscle dystonia). Through brain stimulation and a baclofen pump that delivers medication to the spinal cord, she manages to reduce the effects of the disease and lead a full life. Yana herself treats her situation with humor and even performed a stand-up routine as part of the film 'The Chip Inside Me,' sharing her experience of living as a cyborg.

'The Chip Inside Me' not only tells how implants save lives but also focuses on people's fears and misconceptions based on unprofessional discussions 'from the TV.' To this end, the director even conducted a small opinion poll among random passersby about their attitude toward 'chipping.' And, of course, she debunked most of the myths with the help of experts in neurophysiology.

The film 'The Chip Inside Me' gains credibility from the active participation of neurosurgeon Artur Biktimirov (FEFU), who explains the intricacies of implant surgery, and top Russian neurophysiologists:

• Alexander Kaplan (Moscow State University);
• Mikhail Lebedev (Skoltech, HSE University);
• Alexei Umryukhin (First Moscow State Medical University named after Sechenov).

They discuss the current state of the field, comment on the developments of Elon Musk's company Neuralink, and talk about what can be expected in the future (not a mythical conspiracy theory one, but a quite realistic one).

'The Chip Inside Me' works according to all the canons of documentary cinema. It touches on an important and gripping topic and evokes emotions (it's impossible not to empathize with children facing such problems at such an early age). But most importantly, the project serves an educational function. It talks about the real current capabilities of medicine and also dispels prejudices associated with the topic of chipping. Many still consider such operations dangerous and pointless, and if even a few dozen or hundred people change their minds after watching this film, that will be Yulia Kiselyova's true success.

Trailer:

The documentary 'The Chip Inside Me' can be watched right now on the online cinema KION.