CRYO

Description

A sci-fi comedy about a near future world in crisis. Diane and her friends have about reached their limit; the ice caps are melting, mankind stands on the brink of extinction and they can’t find a decent drink for love nor money. They’re women of a certain age. Invisible to the outside world for decades, they have been underestimated and underappreciated for far too long… but that can have its advantages, especially when you’re dabbling in cryogenics. Diane’s the mastermind. Two part’s mad scientist. One part pragmatist. She’s been living self-sufficiently for years and nothing ever goes to waste. Broken toasters, copper pipes, commodes and laptops running on Windows 95 are all capable of being repurposed. No-one can deny that there have been a few bumps along the way - though the less said about exploding sheep the better - but now Diane has finally perfected the cryogenic process, ably supported by her assistant Walt. Her friends have arrived to join her for the ride and all is as it should be. What happens if there’s a power cut? What have they told their loved ones? What could possibly go wrong? ‘Grace and Frankie’ meets ‘Cocoon’ in the Peak District.

Biblical Connection

With ‘Cryo’ my key Biblical source is the story of Noah, and the flood (Genesis 5:29 - Genesis 9:29). The flood marks a key shift in God’s plan when it comes to the lifespan of man. Noah and his family where the last to be graced with an extended lifespan - in Noah’s case 950 years. So aside from being the ideal story to address climate change and the broader ills of society, it also has huge comedic potential when it comes to examining how those in their more senior years are viewed. Given my personal concerns about the under-representation of older women on screen I also felt it apt to take the opportunity to adapt a story which could feature an ensemble cast of mature women. I say mature…they’re dabbling in cryogenics and for some reason building a boat just wasn’t on their radar. The biblical flood lasted forty days but in my adaptation the women are preparing for a 40 -year nap - though they may have accidently set the timer to 150. These women might just be humanity’s last hope and they’ve also devised a rather nifty way of saving some members of the animal kingdom too.