Educational Media Reviews Online

Would you want to live well into your 100s, if you could do so and be healthy? Most likely the majority of people will say they would. Considering the effects of human longevity on our societies and our environment, would you still? The Immortalists looks at the work being conducted in the reversal of aging by two of the more prominent researchers in the field: Bill Andrews and Aubrey de Grey. Both men are exceedingly bright, engaging and driven yet they have different scientific approaches to conquering the effects of aging on the body, and the film gives fair treatment to each of them.

Directors Alvarado and Sussberg label the all the major players in the film with titles befitting their roles. Bill Andrews, an American, is The Marathon Man. He is not only a runner with a desire to finish the La Ultra marathon in the Himalayan Mountains, but he equates his lifelong quest as a race to find a way to reverse aging and develop a pharmaceutical vehicle to achieve it. A molecular biologist, Bill’s work centers on telomirs on the tips of human chromosomes, and the enzyme telomerase that work with the telomirs. He has screened thousands of chemicals (a marathon in itself) to find the one that will successfully prove his theory.

British scientist, Aubrey de Grey, The Crusader, is researching the application of regenerative medicine by developing a seven step program called SENS that focuses on the molecular and cellular damage caused by aging. Referring to this as “molecular garbage” in the cells, he is looking at enzymes that will repair things as soon as they go wrong, cleaning up the garbage. He doesn’t agree with Andrews’ approach to reversing aging, and Bill Andrews doesn’t agree with de Grey, but both men are in a friendly competition to see who will come out on top.

Other players providing interesting perspectives include Leonard Hayflick, The Forefather, a professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine whose research in the 1950s laid the groundwork in the field of the cell biology of aging. He sheds serious doubts on the postulations of both de Grey and Andrews. Another scientist in the Bill Andrews camp, John Anderson—The Alchemist—tests plant extracts for telamerase producers, working with Andrews to develop “Product B.” And in one of the film’s high points, The Old Guard, Oxford Professor and leading British scientist Colin Blakemore, debates “Defeating Aging” at Oxford with de Grey. This debate is a fascinating way to present the broader issues and let the viewer make up their own minds.

The Immortalists is highly recommended for library collections in the health sciences. It covers several issues of importance to college students in addition to the topic of aging: conducting research, medical ethics, product development and devoting a life to a humanitarian cause. While not entirely free of bias, it presents the various pros and cons of the scientists’ research. Technically, the film is beautifully filmed, especially the shots of Oxford, the Himalayas, and even the lab scenes. The imagery nicely supports the themes running through the piece. The DVD includes two Bonus Features—The Oxford Debate and The Directors’ Cut and is divided into chapters. Since the entire film is a bit long for classroom use at 80 minutes, The Oxford Debate Bonus Feature is perfect for a classroom viewing and discussion of the issues. While Bill Andrews’ La Ultra marathon adventures add some human interest and symbolically represent the problems of aging, they don’t really add a whole lot to the overall film, and could be skipped for educational use. The Immortalists web site has some interesting facts in the Press Kit section as well as a trailer.