Limitless (2022): Season 1, Episode 5 - Memory - full transcript

I read this script once
and there was a line,

and it said, "If I don't have
my memories, did I ever exist?"

And it's always stuck with me.

(FILM REEL FAST FORWARDING)

(CAMERA CLICKING)

(PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: Our memories are
supposed to last forever.

They're what shapes us
and makes us who we are.

(GRUNTS, GROANS)

Good shot, son. Good shot.

CHRIS: The idea that I...



won't be able to remember
the life I've experienced

or my wife...

my kids.

This is probably
my biggest fear.

And recently, I had some
news that made me think

a lot more about all of this.

When I first started exploring
how to live better for longer,

I was sent for a
whole list of tests...

- PETER: How you doing?
- By longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia.

- How you doing today?
- Doing good.

So, we did sort of the
million-dollar workup on you.

We've got every blood
test one can get

and I've looked at every gene
in your body six ways to Sunday.

And overall, your
labs look fantastic.



And I think looking at
you from the outside,

it's clear how much you
take care of yourself,

but we did find a couple of things
that are a cause for concern.

Right.

Some of the genetic
testing that we did

looked at a gene for
a protein called APOE.

You have a very rare combination,
which is you have two copies of APOE4,

a set from your mom and
a set from your dad.

And what does that mean exactly?

That means you have an increased
risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Mm-hmm.

How much higher?

Probably somewhere between
eight and ten times higher

than that of someone in
the general population.

Yeah, all right. Okay.

You know, you're...

I don't know, you're constantly
thinking you're gonna live forever,

especially as a
young individual.

And then to all of
a sudden be told,

"Well, this may be the thing
that might take you out,"

was like, "Whoa." Kinda
floored me for a minute.

I know it's hard
to imagine, but...

it's my belief that if we
take every step possible,

we can reduce your risk
to that of anyone else.

Mm-hmm. Sure.

In fact, I don't think you'll
believe me when I say this,

but I think you will in time.

You having this gene
is probably a blessing.

Because of the motivation
that it'll give me to...

Yeah. This is going to motivate
you to take steps today

that most people your age
would never think about

- until they're in their 50s or 60s.
- Sure. Sure.

I've spent most of my life
paying very detailed attention

to my health and wellness

and looking at how I can be, you know,
stronger and healthier and so on.

But I've never really focused
on the health of my brain.

This news changes things.

(INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING)

Here is a test for checking
frontal lobe function and planning.

So watch what I do first,
and then you copy me.

All right? Here we go.

CHRIS: That's why I'm meeting
renowned neurologist Dr. Sharon Sha.

Wait, hang on.

Was that... Just
gotta see it again.

(MUSIC FADES)

I think, like everyone, I
want to maintain my memory

for as long as possible and
not be, you know, in the corner

unable to, sort of,
operate, you know.

Yeah. I mean obviously
you're really healthy,

but after the age of thirty is when
our brain starts to degenerate.

Our peak is in our youth,
or in our twenties.

So we have to enhance and
maintain as much as possible.

You can't say, "Okay, at 60, I'm
now going to focus on my brain."

Yeah. Yeah.

Because Alzheimer's disease
and other types of things

develop 15 to 20 years before
we even have memory symptoms.

I eat pretty well.
I exercise a lot.

What else can I do that is going
to help improve my brain health?

Just like you have to take
time to work out your body...

Yeah.

You've gotta take time
to work out your brain.

Novel challenges can
stimulate neuronal connections

to spread what we call
"neural plasticity,"

and that can really
enhance cognitive function.

So let's give you
something novel.

Let's give you something where you
can really challenge your brain.

(THRILLING MUSIC PLAYING)

SHARON: In order to help
protect his memories,

I want Chris to take a break
from his normal life...

unplug from technology,

and go off the grid
in the wilderness.

Pretty spectacular, hey?

SHARON: Right there,
take a mental picture.

Without anything to distract
him, no phone, no GPS,

Chris is going to have to immerse
himself in his surroundings...

and navigate his way
through the outback

using only his brain.

Man, it's so easy to
get lost out here.

Well, I'm glad you're here
because I have no clue.

I'm already lost.

SHARON: And because social contact is
so important for cognitive function,

his friend, the artist Otis
Hope Carey, is going with him.

OTIS: That looks like
a really good campsite

at the bottom of that
waterfall back there.

SHARON: So it's a good
point to remember.

OTIS: That's where we're
gonna end our trek.

- Right there?
- OTIS: Yeah.

CHRIS: How are we
gonna get up there?

SHARON: Think of this challenge
as a boot camp for the brain,

a way for Chris to kickstart

a lifelong routine to
keep his brain healthy.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

Whoo! (CHUCKLES)

(MUSIC ENDS)

(INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING)

(BIRDS SCREECHING)

(RHYTHMIC CLAPPING)

(ELDER CHANTING IN
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

(IN ENGLISH) I welcome you. I welcome you
to Dunghutti country, Anaiwan country,

and Gumbaynggirr country.

It's a shared country
between the three tribes.

- (ELDER CONTINUES CHANTING)
- (CLAPPING CONTINUES)

CHRIS: This is my buddy
Otis's ancestral homeland.

For years, we've dreamed about
going on a trip to explore it.

So when Sharon suggested an
adventure in the wilderness,

I knew this would be
the perfect location.

(CLAPSTICKS BEATING
RHYTHMICALLY)

CHRIS: What makes this place
particularly appropriate for our journey

is that in this part of the world,
landscape and memory are intertwined.

ELDER: Body, mind, and spirit.

My name's Otis Hope Carey.

I'm from the Gumbaynggirr nation
and also the Bundjalung nation.

Indigenous people have been in
Australia for sixty-thousand-plus years,

so we've got a very long
connection to Mother Earth.

In First Nations culture, we
believe there's memory in the rocks,

in the water, in the
wind, in the sky.

So if we sit and listen, we can
hear our ancestors talking to us.

(ELDERS CHANTING AND SINGING
IN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

(IN ENGLISH) We hope
that on your journey,

you will listen to our
country speak to you.

Hear the sounds of this
world with your own ears,

not the ears of others.

See this world
with your own eyes,

and not eyes of others.

CHRIS: As the elders are giving us
permission to walk across the land,

one of them says,

"Listen with your own ears...

"and watch with your own eyes.

"Stay true to who you are."

And it really, really struck a chord
within me and spoke to something...

(INHALES DEEPLY) ...on a very
deep level. It's quite beautiful.

(RESOLUTE MUSIC PLAYING)

SHARON: Over the next two days,

Chris and Otis are going
to have to navigate

through thousands of
acres of wilderness.

Okay. So, this is
where we're starting,

and then we head
out this way, right?

SHARON: But the mental
challenge has already begun,

plotting their route and
committing it to memory.

CHRIS: And then we hit up
on this ridgeline, right?

OTIS: Yep.

SHARON: First, they'll head north
over a mix of open country and forest.

From the top of the waterfall, we
come up here and we hit this creek,

and then which way are
we going from here?

We change direction when we
get to this little river.

We've got to then go downstream.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

SHARON: They've
got to find a river

featuring a series
of waterfalls,

which will lead them to a place

that might make a good
campsite for the night.

So, our day two trek, from our
camp... we're going to head due north.

- You got a photo there, yeah?
- Is there a track through there,

- or we're gonna have to...
- OTIS: No.

We're gonna make our own tracks.

SHARON: Finally, they'll have a steep
climb towards their destination,

Wrights Lookout.

Okay, so, the route. So
forest, ridgeline, waterfall,

forest, ridgeline, waterfall.

After the waterfall, climb
up to open country, um...

and I'm going to get
us lost, for sure.

Good. Well, I'm
glad you're there.

(ALL CHUCKLING)

But before Chris and Otis set
off, there's just one more thing.

Hand me your phones.

(GROANS) All right,
there you go.

Thank you. Thank
you. Is that all?

- CHRIS: That's it. That's all.
- That's all of them.

There's one more. This one.

So, who's going to
find this harder?

Probably Otis.

He uses his phone a lot, so...

he's gonna have a real tough
time, aren't you, mate?

Good luck.

(INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING)

(MUSIC ENDS)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

OTIS: Rain's coming.

(DREAMY MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: Do you think we're
heading in the right direction?

Just keep walking. It's the best
thing to do when you're lost, right?

(OTIS CHUCKLING)

CHRIS: A little more challenging now
the sun's completely disappeared.

OTIS: Well, if we look around,
where's the brightest part of the sky?

It's there.

It's either a sun or it's a
spaceship. Tipping towards the sun.

So north, west. We want
to set ahead this way.

OTIS: Yeah, I reckon.

CHRIS: Let's do it, mate.

(ADVENTUROUS MUSIC PLAYING)

SHARON: There's a very specific reason
why I've set Chris and Otis loose

in the wilderness without
anything to help them navigate.

CHRIS: So, what do you reckon?

Is the gully over here
now? Looks like it.

OTIS: Yeah, this way I reckon.

SHARON: The process of figuring
out the right direction to go in

is one of the most complex
tasks our brains can perform.

CHRIS: Up the ridgeline, follow the
water, stream, waterfall, turn left.

Yeah, this is good.

And it relies on a region of the brain
that's critical to how we process

the world around us.

It's called the hippocampus,
the brain's memory center.

CHRIS: The hippocampus is a small
structure shaped like a seahorse,

located in both the left and
the right sides of the brain.

Think of it as a map of where
all our memories are stored

and how to access them.

As we age, the hippocampus shrinks,
and it's one of the first areas

targeted by diseases
like Alzheimer's.

But when we stimulate it with
activities like navigation,

it becomes bigger and healthier,
as new connections are forged

and more brain cells added.

And scientists think the
stronger our hippocampus,

the better our chances of resisting the
cognitive losses that come with age.

(MUSIC ENDS)

SHARON: Ditching the GPS
and navigating on his own

is something Chris can easily
work into his daily routine.

It's a simple and effective
way to keep his brain active,

which should help it stay
strong and resilient.

CHRIS: Okay, so it's
probably close to noon.

OTIS: Yeah, I reckon.

CHRIS: North, east, south, west.

So that's north, so we
want to set ahead this way.

OTIS: There's the river.

CHRIS: Oh, yeah.

OTIS: I feel like we're getting
closer to where we need to be.

Ooh!

Jeez. Quicksand.

CHRIS: It's like that
scene in NeverEnding Story,

Swamps of Sadness.

Remember The NeverEnding Story?

- OTIS: No.
- The NeverEnding Story. Never saw it?

- No, I don't think so.
- CHRIS: (SIGHS) Otis.

OTIS: I didn't get to
watch much TV growing up.

Remember those old TVs where you had
to, like, move the antenna around?

- Yeah.
- We had one of them.

CHRIS: Yeah, as you wouldn't... It's
not just about moving the antenna,

it was about standing in
the right part of the room.

- (OTIS CHUCKLES)
- Yeah, and also...

Yeah. "Don't sit there, Dad.

- "You'll make the TV go fuzzy."
- Yeah.

(CHUCKLES)

(CHRIS EXHALING)

(DREAMY MUSIC PLAYING)

There's something very nostalgic
for me about being in nature...

so far from cities and
towns and civilization.

And when I think about some
of my earliest memories,

the ones that have shaped who
I am, those are the moments

I want to keep hold of forever.

(MUSIC FADES)

I grew up in the Northern Territory,
right in the middle of nowhere,

four and a half hours
from the nearest town,

and I didn't own a pair of
shoes because it was too hot.

And we spent our entire
time outside, basically.

(WIND HOWLING FAINTLY)

My earliest memory...

I was very young. I
was probably four.

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: I remember, uh,

my dad going to pick
someone up from the airport,

which was a big strip of dirt,
basically, in the middle of the outback.

And I walked out looking for him,
and then just kept on walking.

I remember the dry,
crackling heat.

The red dust that just
gets into everything,

your skin, your
hair, your clothes.

And the feeling of my feet, just
feeling like they're on fire.

I was in tears. I didn't
know where my dad was.

But all of a sudden,
he came over the hill.

He was in an obvious state of
panic, wondering what I was doing

in the middle of the outback,
wandering around on my own.

At the time I didn't really
understand what was going on

or what his concern was.

But I remember the warmth and the comfort
of feeling safe and secure in his arms.

- (MUSIC FADES)
- (BIRDS CHIRPING)

- CHRIS: Straight up?
- OTIS: Yeah.

CHRIS: This is like
the StairMaster 2000.

(WATER RUSHING)

- OTIS: You thirsty?
- CHRIS: Yeah.

- OTIS: I'll get a drink with you.
- CHRIS: Yeah.

(SERENE MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: So beautiful.

You normally would be
taking a photo, and...

Not listening and...

looking through a phone camera.

Yeah.

It's amazing being here
and not distracted.

Just how all your
senses are heightened.

All the smells, everything
you touch, the sound.

(WATER BURBLING)

SHARON: It's no surprise that
Chris is feeling more alert.

Our brains evolved in nature,

and there are studies that show

why we find the natural
world so refreshing.

(INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: Research suggests that
when we're in urban settings,

- all the man-made visual patterns...
- (ELECTRONIC BEEPING AND BUZZING)

intrusive noises,
and distractions

take a lot of mental energy for
key parts of the brain to process.

(BEEPING)

CHRIS: Which means that memory,

problem-solving, and
concentration all take a hit.

(HOLLOW RINGING)

CHRIS: But scientists think that
our brains are attuned to find

the sights and sounds of
nature much easier to process.

Instead of being overloaded,

our cognitive abilities are
restored to full strength.

(BRIGHT JINGLE PLAYS)

SHARON: And that's not all.

Spending time in nature
also lowers stress,

which is good for our Alzheimer's
risk and our longevity.

In fact, just a twenty-minute
stroll in the park

without checking your cell phone

has been shown to
significantly reduce levels

of the stress hormone cortisol.

- OTIS: Sure you don't want to lead?
- CHRIS: I'll lead. Come on.

OTIS: How about I go? Because if
I slip, it's not that big a deal.

CHRIS: Yes, it is. I'll have to
carry you. It'll be a massive deal.

OTIS: That's what I mean,
you're stronger than me.

(CHRIS CHUCKLING)

(GRUNTS WITH EFFORT)

(ADVENTUROUS MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: Otis is a great guy.

Got a great sense of humor.
He's a very kind individual.

OTIS: Ow!

- CHRIS: Otis!
- (OTIS CHUCKLING)

- Help me.
- OTIS: You fell graciously, though.

Must say.

(CHRIS GROANING)

And also, he's a
fantastic artist.

(DREAMY MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: All your artwork
is bird's-eye view, right?

OTIS: Yeah, lot of it. Yeah.

It's kind of topographical,
I guess you could say.

I use a lot of, like,
traditional symbols, but I...

sort of soften them, make
them more expressive.

Also remembering where they're
from, their true meaning.

I take old traditional art,
thousands and thousands of years old,

and modernize it.

I try and just give a
new spin on the old way.

Every line, every
dot in my art...

just like every rock,
every river, every tree,

is a memory.

I think Chris growing
up where he grew up,

there's a massive indigenous community,
so he understands my paintings.

And I think that's really a big reason
why we probably get along so well.

CHRIS: We should've
brought a canoe.

OTIS: A bodyboard
would've been better.

(CHRIS LAUGHING)

SHARON: Spending time with other
people is good for our brains.

We're social animals, and interacting
with others can encourage us

to learn new things, spark new
thoughts, or ways of seeing the world.

But when we're isolated, our
risk of developing dementia

is about fifty percent higher.

So of all the things we know
that can protect our longevity,

the people around us may
be the most important.

CHRIS: Okay, so if we
keep heading this way,

we should get to
that campsite. Yeah?

OTIS: Yeah. Campsite's at
the bottom of the waterfall.

CHRIS: So we're at the
top of the waterfall,

and Otis is pointing
out where we could camp.

And I can't see any way
down. Neither can he.

So there's one solution.

(ENERGETIC MUSIC PLAYING)

(CHRIS WHOOPS)

(MUSIC FADES)

CHRIS: Whoo!

(CHUCKLING) Oh, boy!

(GRUNTS) Now you feel alive!

Well, that has definitely
cleared my head.

And it makes me think,

"I hope I'll still be
dive-bombing when I'm an old guy."

Since my test results,
I've been thinking a lot

about growing older and what
my life might look like then.

Perhaps the news I have a
higher risk of Alzheimer's

shouldn't have come
as a total surprise.

(PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: My grandfather,
yeah, he has Alzheimer's.

And...

His... Yeah. His memory's deteriorating,
and has been for the last couple of years.

It's tricky because when he is
lucid, then he gets very worried

because he realizes who people
are and why... where is he?

You know, so it's...
daunting and scary.

(SAW GRINDING)

(MUSIC TURNS TENDER)

My most vivid memories of him were
sitting in the garage with him.

And him helping us build
things out of timber.

He'd build us swords,

little fake, sort of, you know,
pistols and rifles and things.

And I remember him being really patient
as we're kind of hammering and banging,

cutting things and
breaking things.

I have such beautiful memories,
which I'm so, so thankful for...

of just this nurturing,
kind individual.

(MUSIC FADES)

He's a beautiful man.

(FIRE CRACKLING)

So, your grandfather...
he has Alzheimer's?

Yeah. He either doesn't
remember who we are, you know,

his grandkids, but also even
his own children, you know.

- OTIS: Mm-hmm.
- Forgets. And, uh...

Yeah. it's heartbreaking.

Does that worry you at all that you...
you might end up in his situation?

Like most things that scare
you, they either shut you down

or they motivate you to overcome
them or do whatever you can to,

you know, to beat those odds, I guess.
That's what this is about, isn't it?

About... doing as many
preventative things

to ensure brain health.

There's a positive energy to
it all, as opposed to like,

"How many emails I gotta
reply to?" Or, you know,

"What review are they
gonna give me on my film,

"and am I ever going
to work again?"

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

CHRIS: Today's hike
has taken it out of us,

so we decide to call it a night.

But no matter how tired I am,

winding down is
often a struggle.

And sleep was one
of the main things

Dr. Peter Attia focused on
when I had my consultation.

PETER: So Chris, tell
me about your sleep.

Would you consider yourself
a good sleeper? A...

No, not a very good sleeper. I
wake up a lot through the night.

I remember even from a very young age.
But yeah, my mum talks about it now.

There's something about the
nighttime and sleeping would amplify

any sort of concerns, or sort of
if I felt guilty about something,

I felt like I did something wrong,
or something I was concerned about.

And that still, you know,

is definitely there.

So much of what you describe
as your limitations in sleep

seem to stem from what we call "the
monkey mind," which we all have.

The sort of neuroses, the
rumination of thought.

- Mm-hmm.
- Sleep is not a passive activity.

It's not about
being unconscious.

It's actually an active time
during which the brain is healing.

And in your case, Chris,
because of your increased risk,

we really wanna take
sleep seriously.

We know that even a single
night of missed sleep

leads to some of the accumulations
of toxins in the brain

that predispose people
to Alzheimer's disease.

So sleep has remarkable restorative
powers in the short run,

but it also carries with it a lot of
protection against chronic disease.

(INTRIGUING MUSIC PLAYING)

CHRIS: It works like this. While we sleep,
the junk that builds up during the day

is washed away by a kind
of trash disposal service

called the glymphatic system.

But, as we age, and especially
when we don't sleep properly,

this cleanup
operation gets sloppy.

Harmful waste starts to build up
faster than it can be cleared away.

Jamming up the works,

causing inflammation, and
potentially leading to Alzheimer's.

PETER: There's a lot Chris
can start doing right now

to improve the duration
and quality of his sleep.

Creating simple habits,

like going to bed and waking
up at consistent times,

reducing stress before bedtime,

and checking out of
email and social media.

That's easy when he's
camping in the woods.

But hopefully enacting these
changes when he's back home

will reap the real dividends in
terms of his future cognitive health.

And a healthy sleep regimen
isn't the only thing

that Chris should
keep practicing.

(MEDICINE BALL THUDDING)

LUKE: Good.

PETER: In fact, many of the
habits he's already adopted

can help to prevent brain
disease in later life.

LUKE: There you go!

PETER: By periodically fasting and eating
a diet rich in vegetables and fish,

he's fighting the cellular aging that
contributes to Alzheimer's disease.

Don't know whether to
laugh or cry. (CHUCKLES)

PETER: Taking steps to
reduce his stress levels

should also help
protect his memory.

And exposing his body
to extreme temperature

has been shown to significantly
reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

OTIS: How'd you sleep last
night? It was pretty wet.

CHRIS: It was beautiful with
the waterfall in the background.

- Mm. Waterfall sung me to sleep.
- Yeah.

So it's day two, and after
a good night's sleep,

I feel refreshed.

I know I've only spent a day and a
night away from my phone and emails,

but already my
mind feels clearer

and calm.

And I'm excited
for what's to come.

Do you know which direction
we're gonna walk today?

(CHUCKLES) Continuing northwest?

Have we got any sun yet?

I reckon the sun will
come out a bit later.

We're gonna get to Wrights Lookout
hopefully in time for the corroboree.

CHRIS: So, where we're
heading, Wrights Lookout,

is a very special meeting place for
the indigenous people in this area,

where, in the past, different
nations would gather.

CHRIS: What is a corroboree exactly?
What are we expecting to happen?

OTIS: Well, three nations
are going to be meeting,

and we're gonna have a dance,
and it's about sharing wisdom

- and just appreciating country together.
- CHRIS: Yeah.

It's about feeling connected
to something outside yourself.

OTIS: For sure, hundred percent.
There hasn't been a corroboree up here

for over 100 years, so it's
gonna be really special

and it's gonna be
super powerful and...

spiritually recharging.

It's starting to get steeper.

- CHRIS: Got your rock climbing gear?
- (OTIS SIGHS)

- (CHRIS CHUCKLING)
- OTIS: I'll give it a go.

The second day of the hike holds a
different kind of challenge for Chris.

To get to Wrights Lookout,

he and Otis have to climb
up the side of a mountain.

Although you might consider
it a workout for the body,

it's just as much of a
workout for the brain.

OTIS: You look like a bit
of a mountain goat, man.

CHRIS: Yeah.

OTIS: All that gym work. You'd
be able to carry me up there.

(CHRIS CHUCKLES)

SHARON: When we exercise,

our body produces a chemical that
acts like a fertilizer for the brain.

It encourages neurons to
grow and stay healthy.

- CHRIS: Getting closer.
- OTIS: We're getting there.

SHARON: And we know from multiple
studies that regular exercise in midlife

can reduce our chances of
getting Alzheimer's disease

by almost 50 percent.

And exercise, combined
with a cognitive challenge,

is proving to be an
extremely powerful tool

in the fight against dementia.

Even when we grow older.

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

GUDRUN: (IN GERMAN) My
mother died five years ago,

and sadly, she
suffered from dementia.

And yes, it lives with me
in the back of my mind,

good grief, it's going to happen

or may happen to me.

FEMALE VOICE: One,
two, three, four.

CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) Every
week, seventy-year-old Gudrun

attends a local dance class.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

GUDRUN: (IN GERMAN) Sometimes I don't
feel as good as I did 30 years ago.

But mostly,

I'm in pretty good shape.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER
AND LAUGHTER)

(DANCE INSTRUCTOR
SPEAKING GERMAN)

CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) But this
is no ordinary dance lesson.

It's a scientific study.

Its purpose, to find out
whether an exercise like dancing

is more beneficial for the aging
brain than an ordinary workout.

Dancing is learning
complicated movements.

It's not like sitting on a bike
where you do repetitive movements.

So we think that our dancing is a
better way to improve brain function

because it involves this combination
of cognitive and physical challenge.

(MUSIC ENDS)

CHRIS: Scientists
have discovered

that our brains have the
capacity to grow and develop

new connections even
in late adulthood.

(GUDRUN GREETING IN GERMAN)

I'm the guinea pig! (CHUCKLES)

CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH)
So Notger and his team

want to find out how
effective the dance program is

at stimulating that growth.

They're looking for
signs of positive change

in that region of the
brain vital for memory.

NOTGER: (IN GERMAN) Please show me
the front part of the hippocampus.

(SPEAKING GERMAN)

(IN ENGLISH) Stop.

(IN GERMAN) You can
see an increase here.

It looks really good.

(GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING)

NOTGER: (IN ENGLISH) This was such a
big relief because our results show

that dancing has an
amazing potential

in improving brain
function and structure.

And we really hope that
dancing will be able to prevent

cases of dementia in the future.

CHRIS: It's not just Gudrun's
results which are impressive.

The dancing group showed more
growth in the hippocampus

compared with those who
followed a conventional workout.

(IN GERMAN) Well, the results
had a real "wow effect" on me.

So I'm giving myself a
bit of a pat on the back,

telling myself "well done."

(MUSIC FADES)

CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) We've been
climbing for a few hours, and finally,

Wrights Lookout feels
within touching distance.

- CHRIS: Straight up here?
- OTIS: Yeah.

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

Is this the right
spot? (CHUCKLES)

(MAJESTIC MUSIC PLAYING)

- CHRIS: (PANTING) Well done, mate.
- OTIS: Good job.

Good job.

CHRIS: We've made it.

And all without a phone,
GPS, or even a map.

Just the one thing people used for
millennia to navigate this earth.

Our brains.

- That's where we walked from.
- (EXHALES DEEPLY)

- Long way.
- It is a long way.

Gives you some
perspective, doesn't it?

(MUSIC FADES)

As I look out at how far
Otis and I have come,

the beauty of this landscape,

I think about what the elder
said to us before we set off.

"Listen with your own ears

"and see with your own eyes."

And now it makes perfect sense.

If we block out the noise and
truly tune in to the natural world,

we'll live better.

It's been a long two days,

but we've made it here
for the corroboree,

the gathering.

(MALE VOICE CHANTING
IN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

(CLAPSTICKS BEATING
RHYTHMICALLY)

(MALE VOICES SINGING)

ELDER: (IN ENGLISH) On
behalf of the three nations,

we want to invite you
to come dance with us.

- Sure. Thank you.
- Yeah.

- I'm not much of a dancer.
- MALE VOICE: That's all right!

You know, I really thought I
was gonna be just observing.

And now, I feel really nervous.

(CHUCKLES)

(SPEAKS INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

- (IN ENGLISH) Paddle left. Paddle right.
- Paddle left, paddle right.

Low, low, shoulder, shoulder.

All right.

CHRIS: There's such a beautiful
welcoming from everybody there,

and encouragement, that I
pretty quickly get into it.

(CHANTING IN
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

CHRIS: (IN ENGLISH) And
I look over at Otis,

and, uh, I start to see
what it means for him.

The meeting of
these three nations.

(DIDGERIDOO DRONING)

OTIS: I feel empowered.

I feel a sense of
belonging as well.

Because this gathering
is to waken our ancestors

in the memories and our
stories from the earth.

Not only am I creating new
and beautiful memories...

but I get to share that with Chris,
and we get to talk about that

for the years to come.

- (CLAPSTICKS BEATING RAPIDLY)
- (DREAMY MUSIC PLAYING)

I started this journey concerned

that I might lose my
memories when I'm older.

But I've realized just how much
of this is in my own hands.

(CHANTING AND SINGING DISTANTLY)

CHRIS: The prescription is
simple. Eat and sleep well.

Challenge my mind and
body with new experiences,

and immerse myself in nature

away from the distractions
and stress of modern life.

And crucially, share all of
this with the people I love.

None of these simple
acts are bitter medicine.

They're things I
love to do anyway.

Things I want to do more often.

And hopefully, I'll not only live
a happier and more rewarding life,

bringing joy to my family and my
friends just as my grandpa did,

but together we'll forge
precious new memories

that will live with me
for the rest of my life.

(MUSIC FADES)

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

(MUSIC ENDS)