Mr. Immortal Jellyfish Man
Directed by Dicky Dahl
'Mr. Immortal Jellyfish Man' is the story of Japanese scientist Shin Kubota’s obsessive quest to unlock the secret of a jellyfish discovered to be “immortal.” At the expense of most other aspects of his life, the 65-year-old divorcee has spent much of the last 30 years in a cramped lab in a sleepy coastal town doing the meticulous work of studying and caring for the world’s only captive population of Turritopsis dohrnii, a species of jellyfish found to be capable of endlessly regenerating itself. Boasting a striking genetic similarity to humans, the Turritopsis represents for most scientists an intriguing avenue for cancer cure research. But for Shin Kubota, the immortal jellyfish embodies nothing less than “the most wonderful dream of mankind.” Spurred on by graying hair and fading eyesight, he tirelessly rejuvenates his jellyfish, believing that solving the mystery of their immortality for human application is achievable in our lifetime. He fears, however, that humans, destructive in their behavior towards the environment, are not spiritually mature enough to handle the secret responsibly. So Kubota has launched a second career, that of a writer and performer of songs designed to encourage a healthier relationship between man and nature. By night he transforms himself from erudite marine biologist into Mr. Immortal Jellyfish Man, hits karaoke bars in a costume designed to resemble a jellyfish, and performs songs such as “Life Forever” and “Scarlet Medusa — an Eternal Witness.” Still, he worries that the secrets of the immortal jellyfish will be discovered too soon, before man is ready to harness the science of immortality in an ethical manner. “Nature is so beautiful,” he says, smiling ironically. “If human beings disappeared, how peaceful it would be.”