Film Review: The Father of the Cyborgs follows a charming doctor-turned-mad scientist

The Father of the Cyborgs

Dr Phil Kennedy initially seems like such a quiet and unassuming character. The maverick neuroscientist was born in Ireland and spent time working with the homeless before moving to the U.S. But as the film, The Father of the Cyborgs shows, that is really Dr Kennedy during the daytime. After hours, he has experimented with human brain science to make a total of six cyborgs.

It is a case of the truth being stranger than fiction, as one of the cyborgs is actually himself! Dr Kennedy has been on a mission for decades to find ways to help patients who are locked in by severe paralysis. He believes the key is in technologies enabling the human brain to communicate with computers via brain waves. It sounds like science fiction yet Dr Kennedy has been working in this field since the nineties. One such patient, David Jayne, is interviewed and through his device, communicates that this has enabled him to feel human again.

David Burke directs this oddball documentary about this clever eccentric. It emphasises the visual aspect, augmenting proceedings with clips from sci-fi films, newsreels and computer graphics. This elevates an already fascinating subject. And while this could have been a staid and dry medical documentary, the result is anything but. The Father of the Cyborgs makes for very interesting viewing as we will all contemplate “What if?” or at least, “What will Dr Kennedy do next?” Because this is a man who used his own brain as a human experiment when his previous work had only gotten him so far.

There is some assumed knowledge here. There will be audience members who may get a little lost in the more technical aspects of what Dr Kennedy and the other talking heads are describing. For those who can follow, they should enjoy this primer into the many facets of brain surgery (though the scenes of Dr Kennedy’s own operation are not for the squeamish).

We learn that in the 1930s it was all about lobotomies, shock therapy and some questionable ethics. There were also Dr Delgado’s experiments, which saw him tame an angry bull with electrical stimulation. This work– including Dr Kennedy’s own – furthers our understanding of the human brain but it also poses the question of at what cost.

The Father of the Cyborgs is ultimately a celebration of human ingenuity. It looks forward and considers what the future will look like as the technologies advance and more discoveries are made. While Dr Kennedy may seem a bit crazy – in a quiet and charming way – you get the feeling he is still on the verge of discovering even more amazing things; with support or not. So come, watch and be enlightened.

The Father of the Cyborgs The Father of the Cyborgs

THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

The Father of the Cyborgs screens online as part of the Transitions Film Festival, for more information head HERE.