Opens on Friday

Directed by Nicholas Mross

1 hour 36 minutes; not rated

“The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin” explains what bitcoins are in plain English. It begins with Daniel Mross, a programmer in Pittsburgh who builds computers to “mine” bitcoins, the virtual currency that was introduced in 2009 and, in theory, provides an alternative to the banking system. Bitcoins are managed through a global, peer-verified network rather than a central entity like the Federal Reserve.

Beyond shots of Mr. Mross grilling burgers and joking about sending his baby to college on bitcoins, this largely optimistic documentary — directed by his brother, Nicholas Mross — explores the wider world of bitcoin entrepreneurship. The idea of a currency without a government appeals to libertarians. Bitcoins might help to integrate less developed countries into the global economy.

The movie also acknowledges a dark side. There’s an interview with a drug-dealing early adopter identified only as Mr. Bitcoin. Jennifer Shasky Calvery, the director of the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, expresses concern with the potential for money laundering and terrorist financing. But the film never addresses the fundamental objection of economists like Brad DeLong and the New York Times Op-Ed columnist Paul Krugman, who question whether bitcoins constitute a stable store of value.

The fates of several of the movie’s bitcoin entrepreneurs are unlikely to send viewers rushing to exchange their dollars. But “The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin” nevertheless functions as an entertaining portrait of the unshakable optimism that governs what’s been called a financial Wild West.