Starting January 14, the new documentary film by Davis Simanis “Frankenstein 2.0” will be screened in Latvian cinemas, where scientists, technological innovators, and self-proclaimed prophets of immortality embark on an absurd and thrilling journey across the USA, Russia, and Europe. The film, addressing the obsession of modern society with immortality, attempts to answer the question: will death really cease to be our problem soon?
The idea for the documentary film “Frankenstein 2.0” was born during the COVID-19 pandemic — a time when feelings of loneliness, fear, and awareness of human mortality were growing in society. The filmmakers (director Davis Simanis, co-writer Uldis Tirons, cinematographer Andris Rudzāts) embarked on an existential and ironic exploration to determine whether science, new technologies, and the constant fear of death are sufficient to extend human life or even make it eternal.
Are people who cling to immortality mad, or are they, on the contrary, visionaries? Are we the last generation that will not only experience death but will also watch enviously as future generations do not worry about such trivialities? But perhaps only technologies and methods are changing, while people remain the same — mortal and obsessed with the idea of conquering death? The film “Frankenstein 2.0” seeks and sometimes offers answers to these and other questions, while maintaining a healthy skepticism and refraining from hasty conclusions about a future without aging and death.
“When I started working on the film, I just wanted to find out if it was possible to live a little longer. But then everything became strange. Scientists at Yale University are reviving pigs, people are implanting chips in their brains, biohackers are sharing tips on achieving eternal youth. Humanity is already living in the age of transhumanism, but it seems I am falling behind,” says director Davis Simanis.
Davis Simanis is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and film theorist whose works combine documentary and art-house cinema with a poetic and philosophical perspective. Both his feature and documentary films “Escape from Riga” (2014), “The Wall” (2018), “The Year Before the War” (2021), “Maria’s Silence” (2024), and others have received recognition at international festivals, reinforcing the belief that Simanis is one of the most original and globally recognized representatives of Latvian auteur cinema.
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