Immortal

The need to survive is considered the most basic instinct of organisms on our planet. Survival at all costs, that is. People are trying to survive and they are the smartest and perhaps the most successful of all species because of their greater intelligence. We develop different types of drugs and we continuously improve treatment methods, trying to defeat the most insidious diseases, and all for a simple reason. We want to live as long as possible. Perhaps we selfishly ignore nature, but self-preservation is precisely the right of this nature. The documentary Immortals is about an Australian scientist, Elizabeth Blackburn, who studies telomeres (structures on the end of chromosomes). It is their loss that could be considered the beginning of death. Her research has produced the pioneering discovery of so-called telomerase, an enzyme which supplements telomeres. This documentary informs us in a viewer-friendly way about the complex processes, the results and the consequences of Elizabeth Blackburn’s research. She supports her research results with opinions from others within the scientific community, and with evidence gained using "ordinary" people as specific examples. It is not a coincidence that we are constantly reminded of time (deceleration, acceleration, time lapse shots and shots of clock faces), as if it to emphasize that time is still our relentless master. (Academia Film Olomouc)