Relax, Open Your Eyes is a documentary film which brings attention to both the developmental and emotional facets to cryonics research in Calgary. The film had its world premiere on Sep. 25, 2026 as part of the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF). It centers around Carrie Radomski, a cryonicist working in Calgary, and her personal experience with the technology. The director of the film, David Ehrenreich, spoke with the Gauntlet on his experience learning about cryonics and putting Carrie’s story on the big screen.
Cryonics is a technology which focuses on preserving humans after they have passed away in the hopes that people will be able to come back to life in the future. It involves storing human remains at extremely low temperatures to ensure they are in suitable conditions upon revival.
While Calgary does not have a cryonics storage institution, Biostasis Response, founded by Radomsky, is a company based in the city that actively works to begin stabilization methods for people once they are pronounced dead so their bodies can be preserved for revival.
“I think maybe something I've learned that's quite interesting is that a lot of the science is not controversial and very mainstream […] a lot of this technology was pioneered by the same people that also pioneered the technology to freeze like sperm and eggs,” Ehrenreich said.
The scientific process behind cryonics originates from the same technologies behind commonly practiced technologies such as cryopreservation. The idea of preserving organic matter through low temperature storing allows it to get into perfect stasis; it will be the same as it was before storage after it has thawed. Such technologies are instrumental for the preservation of human life, and there is the hope it will be important for reviving people as well. By preventing the body from decaying, there is the hope that people will be able to be revived in the same condition as they were in prior to their death.
“She brought candor and emotional availability and honesty, and so my job was to try to create an environment that helped her do that and to champion what she was doing without sanitizing it,” said Ehrenreich.
Radomski’s story involves her own hopes to one day be revived by cryonics technology as well as researching the topic due to her husband’s chronic conditions. Ehrenreich was tasked with bringing Carrie’s story to life, communicating her experience to the public. The production of the documentary required extensive study of the cryonics industry in order to depict the reality of Carrie’s experience and provide audiences an “in” to a unique realm of research.
“My goal was to create this opportunity for people to go into these privileged spaces and create this intimate experience where they were able to be a part of this world that they wouldn't otherwise,” said Ehrenreich.
Throughout the production of the film, Ehrenreich sought to dive into the sphere of cryonics in order to tell a genuine portrayal of the technology and the community it has fostered. He introduced himself to this world with the goal of allowing audiences to learn what it is like to be a part of the culture of cryonics technology. The production process enabled Ehrenreich to become knowledgeable on the subject of cryonics and better understand Radomski’s research.
Ehrenreich spoke about how the film gave a lot of love to Calgary as a center for the development of cryonics technology. He compared the film’s opening shot to being akin to Blade Runner, allowing the city to set the tone for the documentary. He described Calgary as being a “place of dreams and possibility”. This comparison links Calgary to the hopeful nature of cryonics as an avenue of technological research. It calls attention to the ground-breaking research being done locally.
“It's these little moments where you get to see [Calgary], but I feel like it always looks incredible. If I was from somewhere else, and I'd never been to Canada and saw the film, I'd be like, well, I want to go to that city,” Ehrenreich said.
Relax, Open Your Eyes is a film which sheds light on the technological leaps cryonics technology has made and how it is affecting the lives of Calgarians today. Ehrenreich’s work with Radomski and other professionals assembled into a collaborative team effort which put the viewer in the driver’s seat, allowing them to learn all about the multifaceted nature of cryonics.
More information about the film can be found on the CIFF website.
