The Immortalists

Released Nov 28, 2014

1h 18m

Documentary

Drama

List

67%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

69%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

Two scientists struggle to create eternal youth as they battle old age and the loss of loved ones.

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Michael Rechtshaffen

Los Angeles Times

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.

Dec 10, 2014

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Godfrey Cheshire

RogerEbert.com

A very well-mounted film, with outstanding contributions in Alvarado's cinematography and Eric Andrew Kuhn's subtly expressive score.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 28, 2014

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Nicolas Rapold

New York Times

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.

Nov 28, 2014

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Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

Not so much a thorough examination of immortality research as it is a fascinating insight into what drives two men to challenge what we consider possible.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 19, 2019

Full Review

Tom Bond

One Room With A View

The direction is unimaginative and the leads an unsympathetic group of tragically misguided dreamers.

Rated: 1/5

May 31, 2019

Full Review

Mark R. Leeper

Mark Leeper's Reviews

spending so much time on their admittedly eccentric personal lives--time that could have been used to explain more of the science and their particular theories and approaches--was not the best choice.

Rated: 6/10

Nov 28, 2014

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Audience Member

unexpected quirky gem

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

The film does a nice job of humanizing its two main subjects, but it could do with a bit more depth when it comes to the scientific and philosophical debates developing around their goals.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Awesome film great performances ! must have a brain to enjoy this film, subject matter is a bit complex. I loved it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

I polled a few people who left the library theater. Their impression, and mine, was that the movie claimed Andrews and de Grey to represent the field, and then did everything in its power to show the pair to be kooky losers. The film did not deal with the viability of the science at all, or with recent growth of its underlying movement.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This new documentary from David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg tackles one of the most fascinating subjects a nonfiction film could possibly cover: it is about scientists on the hunt for a cure for aging. In other words, the subjects of this film are trying to make natural death a thing of the past. What makes the film even more special and memorable is the fact that it is just as interested in these scientists as people, giving equal time to both their extremely compelling goals and their personal biographies. In investigating the reasons for their obsessions, the film tells us a great deal about these people, as well as about ourselves. British scientist Aubrey de Grey is the star of the show. Sporting long hair and a beard that would make both Alan Moore and Rasputin a bit jealous, de Grey is a hard-drinking, larger-than-life figure who maintains relationships with three different women: his wife, 20 years older than him; another woman around his own age whom we never see; and a third woman 25 years younger than him, to whom we are introduced later in the film. The more sober and apparently credible of the two figures is Bill Andrews, a health nut who runs insane marathons in his spare time. He and de Grey have an amicably competitive relationship as they pursue the same goal. One of the film's strengths is the way it makes the complex science behind anti-aging accessible to the layperson. In one particularly lucid passage, Andrews explains the enzyme telomerase as being like the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces (telomeres, the cellular structures that protect chromosomes from deterioration), which keep these "shoelaces" from unraveling. Andrews believes that if the production of telomerase can be chemically regulated, it can actually reverse the effects of aging and prolong human life indefinitely. De Grey has other theories about how this goal can be achieved, and of course there are those who believe it cannot, or even should not, be achieved. The question of overpopulation is raised, and de Grey's response is that we simply don't know what a future without natural death would be like, and that we shouldn't stop trying just because it might cause other problems. His enthusiasm is infectious, and it's hard not to root for him and Andrews, not only for the astounding potential impact of their research, but also because we grow to love them as people. The Immortalists is my favorite kind of documentary, one that explores the lives and minds of fascinating eccentrics, as Werner Herzog did with Grizzly Man, or Errol Morris with Tabloid. Cinematographer and co-director Alvarado finds some gorgeous images, especially in de Grey's native London, and even the "talking heads" segments of the film are never less than interesting. This is one of those rare films that I honestly believe every human being should see.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This gorgeous to watch film beautifully explores the intriguing and controversial questions around life extension science through the experiences of two scientists who passionately believe immortality is in the near future. A very human look at a science that could affect us all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

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David Alvarado

Director

Jason Sussberg

Director

Leonard Hayflick

Actor

Aubrey de Grey

Actor

Colin Blakemore

Actor

Terry Grossman

Actor

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Synopsis

Two scientists struggle to create eternal youth as they battle old age and the loss of loved ones.

Director: David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg
Producer: Chuck Braverman
Screenwriter: Jason Sussberg
Production Co: Structure Films
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 28, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Runtime: 1h 18m

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