An anthology of tales linked by the notion that some people are blessed—or cursed—with the power to resurrect after dying. All four vignettes were written by Jon Dabach, but he directs only one. The first, directed by Rob Margolies, is titled "Chelsea," named after a beautiful high school track star (Lindsay Mushett) who is encouraged by her high school English teacher Mr. Shagis (Dylan Baker) to register a complaint of sexual harassment against her lecherous coach. The decision leads to a Most Dangerous Game-style scenario in which she is taken captive and hunted for sport by an “immortal” who uses the cruel sport to brighten his otherwise humdrum life. An unsurprising twist closes the talky piece, notable only for the extended opening in which Baker conducts an interesting give-and-take with his class.
Danny Isaacs directs the second episode "Gary & Vanessa," in which Brett Edwards and Agnes Bruckner play a young married couple with a baby on the way. Concerned about being able to support his growing family, Gary concocts an insurance scam involving a cable TV outage, and through a repairman (Mario Van Peebles) has fixed the problem, he goes ahead with the scheme anyway. Dabach contrives a triple twist finale in this case, but the result is too clever by half.
"Ted & Mary," directed by Tom Colley, stars veteran Tony Todd as a man who has decided to accede to the wishes of his terminally ill wife (Robin Bartlett) and help her commit suicide. They explain their reasons to a television camera crew beforehand, but the outcome is not what either of them expects. The lead performances are exceptionally nuanced, the ending twist is unexpected, and the overall effect is genuinely poignant; this is clearly the strongest of the four stories.
Finally, Dabach himself directs "Warren," in which the title character (Samm Levine) plots vengeance against the woman (Joanne Verbos) who killed him in a hit-and-run accident. There is an amusing supporting turn by Jason Stuart as the P.I. Warren hires to get information on the woman—as well as the gun he intends to threaten her with. But the acting is particularly weak, and the ending especially limp.
Produced on what appears to have been a quite limited budget, Immortal has a threadbare look, and three of the stories are neither smart nor compelling enough to hold one’s interest even for their brief duration, though the performances by Baker, Todd, and Bartlet are excellent. Optional.