The Man from Earth

[Nevermore]

I just finished watching an interesting exercise in belief ... the movie The Man From Earth presents a story of a man who may have lived for 14,000 years as he relates it to his associates at a college. 

Nice pick. I saw that movie around when it came out in 2007, and it stuck in my head all these years. It's really thought provoking: the concept of an observer who has seen the entire human race's successes and failures. I remember wishing the movie had gone deeper, but I guess it did as much as a 90 minute movie could.

My only gripe, as I remember it, is that the man seemed a bit too stoic and neutral, with neither a loving nor hating attitude toward humans. I guess their point is that 14,000 years of humanity will make you numb/objective. But I prefer the approach taken in the Japanese flick "Cutie Honey" which presents 2 immortal beings: one who becomes disgusted and angry at humans while the other learns to love humans as you might love a pet. I mean after 14,000 you'd probably have a pretty strong opinion one way or the other, right?

Another good one is the last Star Trek episode to air before the show was canceled in 1969. "Requiem for Methuselah" (some mild spoilers below!) It presents a mysterious alien who turns out to be a few thousand years old, who turns out to be a number of famous figures in Earth's history. He is a very cynical individual who is basically hiding out on a planet by himself because he has become disgusted with humans. One of the best Star Trek episodes ever.