Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice

Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice is a 2019 Thai documentary film directed by Pailin Wedel. The movie mainly features Max More, Matrix Naovaratpong, and Nareerat Naovaratpong. The film draws you into one of the most controversial and complex bio-ethical conundrums of our times that stare straight into the face of religious beliefs, scientific progress, traditional customs, and deep human emotions.

The film’s storyline follows the journey of a Thai family who undergoes a profound tragedy. Their youngest member, a 2-year-old girl named Einz, is diagnosed with a form of brain cancer. As scientists, the parents put their faith into futuristic technology and take an approach that pushes the boundary of ethics, love, and faith. Despite Einz's inevitable demise, her brain is cryonically preserved with the hope that future scientific advancements may revive her. Documentary filmmaker Pailin Wedel, who documents this extraordinary journey, portrays it with the necessary depth, complexity, and empathy it deserves.

Max More plays an integral role in the movie as the CEO of Alcor Life Extensions, a foundation that practices human cryopreservation – the deep freezing of human beings after their legal death to preserve them for potential future revival. More provides a scientific perspective on the controversial practice and explains its intricacies and possibilities.

The film is primarily set in Thailand, exploring the cultural and religious implications of this decision on the Naovaratpong family. Matrix Naovaratpong, the elder brother of Einz, is a pivotal character in the film. Matrix's struggle with the loss of his sister and his understanding of the family's extraordinary decision provides a grounded and human view against the backdrop of futuristic science.

Nareerat Naovaratpong, the mother of Einz, provides an essential emotional facet to the narrative. Her journey from being a mother to a believer of science and future gives the audience a chance to look at the depths of a mother's love and the lengths it can go to bring her child back.

While the documentary tackles difficult subject matters, such as death, grief, and the ethics of scientific innovation, Wedel presents the story with utmost sincerity and compassion. She combines the raw emotional journey of a grieving family with the broader socio-cultural implications of pushing the boundaries of science. The Naovaratpong family's unwavering belief in a future scientific breakthrough that could bring back their daughter forms an essential commentary on progress, faith, and the human connection.

Visually, Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice is aesthetically pleasing and emotionally moving. The film captures the beauty and dynamism of Thailand, creating a sharp contrast between the traditional and the futuristic. It keeps the audience engaged, and it doesn't shy away from showing the harsh realities of grief and the pursuit of groundbreaking, albeit controversial, scientific endeavors.

Throughout its run, the documentary maintains a balanced perspective, neither advocating nor denouncing the act of cryonics. Instead, it emphasizes presenting an accurate account of a family's personal quest. The family's quest to live twice opens a discourse about the intersections of science, ethics, culture, and love. It neither endorses nor condemns, rather it explores and leaves the audience to ponder about the cost of hope and what it means to be human.

Overall, Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice is a captivating and profoundly emotional documentary film that brings to light the complexities of human and technological boundaries. It's a rare inside view at the emotional and cultural implications of preserving a loved one for potential future revival. Not only does it explore the ethical perspectives of this technology, but it also wants to embrace the unsure. Through its careful storytelling, the movie deeply resonates without laying claim to any absolute truths about life, death, and what may come in between.

Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice is a film that stays with you, prompting thought and reflection long after the credits roll, pushing you to question the limits of our understanding of life, death, and the dreams of a far-off scientific future.