By David Alvarado & Jason Sussberg
Could the age-old quest for eternal life be realized in the next few decades? If so, is it even desirable?
The Immortalists follows two biomedical scientists seeking to radically extend human longevity through regenerative medicine. But not without controversy and concern.
Bill Andrews is a molecular biologist and famed long-distance runner now racing against the ultimate clock. "Hundreds of years from now, we're going to look back and be shocked by this horrible world we used to live in where people get old and die," says Andrews. Aubrey de Grey is one of the most famous figures in anti-aging research, a theoretical biologist. He believes the first person who could live to be 1,000 is alive today.
Andrews and de Grey differ in style and approach, but are united in their common crusade: to cure aging or die trying. De Grey proposes an intervention that would delete the telomerase gene in the body. Andrew's research is fundamentally the opposite ¨C he is trying to trigger the gene in cells to produce telomerase.
They both publicly disagree with other biologists who believe that curing aging is neither possible nor desirable. In an Oxford debate, de Grey spars with British neurobiologist Colin Blakemore over the basic scientific and ethical questions.
As Andrews and de Grey battle their own aging and suffer the loss of loved ones, their journeys toward life without end ultimately become personal.
The Immortalists raises fundamental questions beyond whether eternal life is possible. How would being 'forever young' alter the human condition and our world?
Reviews
~ "A vigorous look at the quest to reverse aging. The age-old search for the fountain of youth is engagingly appraised in The Immortalists, a lively documentary focusing on a pair of very different biomedical scientists who are equally obsessed with eradicating the ravages of time." - Los Angeles Times
~ "Thought-provokingˇEven if it doesn't convince us they're likely to conquer death before it comes for them, the film does prompt interesting debates about just how desirable an unlimited stay on Planet Earth would be." - Hollywood Reporter
~ The Immortalists at first looks to be a horse race portrayal of two men competing to achieve eternal life through scientific means. This sly documentary rises above its speculative hook by shifting to show the very human, and very mortal, sides of these would-be warriors of eternity." - New York Times
Awards
~ Winner, Best Documentary Feature, Tacoma Film Festival
~ World Premiere, SXSW Film Festival
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