I work every day, including Thanksgiving, so I am truly thankful I DVR'd this intelligent, indie thriller, Subject Two, from the Sundance Channel. I don't think I have ever seen anything to compare with this modern-day take on the classic Frankenstein story. Incredibly deep and thought provoking, Subject Two takes medical ethics to a whole new level ... just how far are we willing to go to break the boundaries of science and medical technologies.

Death has its side effects

It's hard to give much of the plot to entice you to watch this film, as the majority of it would simply give away too much. Suffice to say, a disillusioned medical student accepts a mysterious offer to work with a scientist in a remote cabin in the snowy mountains of Aspen, Colorado. What he doesn't know is he is to be the next test subject for resurrecting the dead, as he is repeatedly (and quite willingly) killed and brought back to life, over and over again. Sounds pretty gruesome, eh? Well, it is, but there is so much underlying the horror of it all that makes this such a compelling film.

The cast's multi-layered performances are surprisingly believable, particularly the engaging, almost creepy Dean Stapleton and bright, attractive  newcomer Courtney Mace (why she hasn't had a dozen acting offers, by now, is beyond me):

• Adam Schmidt - co-producer, Christian Oliver (this past year's Speed Racer, A Light in the Forest, Sliders tv series, and the upcoming horror film The House of Good and Evil)
• Dr. Franklin Vick - and co-producer, Dean Stapleton (Far from Bismark)
• Kate - Courtney Mace
• The Professor - Thomas Buesch
• The Hunter - Jürgen Jones
• Subject One - co-producer, writer and director, Philip Chidel (did the same for the film, Far from Bismarck)

Subject Two became an Official Selection of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and 2006 winner for Best Feature Film at The London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastical Film. Not bad for a film with a cast and crew of nine freezing their butts off for the bulk of a remote Colorado winter.

For more about this remarkable film and the story behind it, please visit the Official Website for Subject Two:

http://www.subjecttwomovie.com/