SIZZLE REEL
OVERVIEW
PAST LIFE is a mind-bending feature documentary that centers on an ordinary woman named Katie whose life takes a surreal turn after insomnia leads her to a controversial hypnosis therapy.
Under a hypnotic technique known as past life regression, she recounts memories of a previous life as an experimental physicist and NASA test pilot named Joe who was involved in a highly classified government program in the 1960’s.
Despite her skepticism at first, Katie can’t shake the vivid details of her past life. By researching online history archives, she discovers Joe Walker, a NASA test pilot from the 1960s who not only matched her descriptions, but had flown experimental aircraft and been involved in cutting-edge aerospace projects.
Official records state that Walker died in a mid-air collision—an unusual accident for an experienced pilot that was coincidentally photographed, fueling conspiracy theories. But under hypnosis, Katie recalls a shocking alternative: Walker’s death was a cover-up, allowing him to disappear into a top-secret government program hidden inside a hollowed-out mountain in Utah.
Katie’s memories go beyond technology; she recalls Joe falling in love and marrying a fellow scientist within the base, and experiencing a mysterious “energy” during a mission.
But Joe’s growing frustration with the program’s secrecy, and his desire to reveal its discoveries to the world, leads to his downfall. According to Katie’s hypnotic recollection, Joe wasn’t killed in the crash; he was betrayed and poisoned by his own superiors to ensure his silence.
This fantastical story of conspiracy and secrecy serves as the tree trunk for the film. Interwoven into Katie and Joe’s story, the branches of the film feature expert interviews with leading neuroscientists, psychologists, and aerospace historians who unpack the power of hypnosis, the mechanics of memory, and the real history of secret government programs.
Katie isn’t alone in having memories of a past life that match details of a real person. Around the world, thousands have reported memories of past lives with astonishing accuracy. At the University of Virginia, Dr. Jim Tucker has studied over 2,500 cases of past life claims, the majority involving young children. Remarkably, two-thirds of these cases were found to be “verifiable,” matching specific details of real people and events the children couldn’t possibly have known.
Despite the astonishing similarities of Katie’s recollection to Joe Walker, past life regression remains widely regarded as pseudoscience. And yet, there are thousands of practitioners in the US, many of whom are booked out months in advance for sessions.
So what is happening in these sessions?
The film features renowned experts like Dr. Elizabeth Loftus, a leading authority on false memories, who provides insight into the vivid yet unreliable nature of memory. Her groundbreaking research on implanted memories and controversial studies on the malleability of the mind challenge the accuracy of personal recollection.
“We've been planting false memories in the minds of people for decades” - Dr. Loftus
To further explore the science of hypnosis, the film also includes Dr. David Spiegel, the leading expert in the neuroscience of hypnosis, who offers unprecedented access to his research lab at Stanford, where the physiological effects of hypnosis are being rigorously studied.
“We don't have the full picture yet of what our brains can do.” - Dr. Spiegel
PAST LIFE navigates the tension between belief and skepticism. For materialists, no evidence may be enough to legitimize past life regression; for believers, science is too rigid to explain life’s mysteries.
The film explores humanity’s deepest questions: What lies beyond death? Can consciousness transcend lifetimes? And where does science end and belief begin?
In our current climate, where beliefs often override facts, PAST LIFE challenges viewers to confront their assumptions. Combining the suspense of a science fiction thriller with the intellectual investigations of a deep-dive documentary, the film is a windy road of revelations that will leave viewers questioning their beliefs at every turn.
THE EXPERTS
Dr. Elizabeth Loftus is a world-renowned cognitive psychologist and leading authority on memory, best known for her pioneering research on the creation and reliability of false memories. Her work has revolutionized the fields of psychology and law, shedding light on how suggestion can distort recollections and lead to entirely fabricated memories. A prolific author of over 20 books and 600 scientific articles, Loftus has been featured in The New York Times, TIME, The New Yorker and The Guardian and her TED Talk has over 2 million views. Among her many accolades, she has received the National Medal of Science and been named one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century.
Dr. David Spiegel is a psychiatrist and leading authority on the neuroscience of hypnosis. As the Director of the Center on Stress and Health and Associate Chair of Psychiatry at Stanford University, he has conducted groundbreaking research on how hypnosis alters brain activity, perception, and consciousness. His work has demonstrated hypnosis as a powerful tool for managing pain, anxiety, and trauma. Dr. Spiegel has authored over 480 scientific articles and received numerous accolades, including lifetime achievement awards from the American Psychiatric Association and the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. His work has been featured in TIME and The New York Times.
Dr. Michael Yapko is a globally recognized clinical psychologist and expert in the therapeutic applications of hypnosis, particularly in treating depression, anxiety, and trauma. With over four decades of experience, he has authored 16 books, including the acclaimed Trancework and Breaking the Patterns of Depression. Dr. Yapko's innovative work emphasizes the role of hypnosis in fostering resilience and adaptive thinking. A sought-after speaker and educator, he has trained professionals in more than 30 countries. Among his many accolades, Dr. Yapko has received lifetime achievement awards from the International Society of Hypnosis and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
Dr. Alan Castel is a renowned cognitive psychologist and memory scientist, best known for his research on how memory evolves with aging and how attention and focus influence what we remember. As a professor at UCLA and author of Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging, Dr. Castel explores the mechanisms behind memory retention, forgetting, and learning across the lifespan. His work has been widely published in leading scientific journals and featured in outlets such as The New York Times and Scientific American.
Additional interviews with historians, pilots, Walker’s family and former government insiders will shed light on the realities behind classified aerospace projects, grounding Katie’s extraordinary experience in factual historical context.
VISUAL STYLE
PAST LIFE redefines documentary storytelling with its innovative blend of real archival material and mesmerizing AI-generated imagery. The use of AI is not flippant or to cut corners, but rather to conceptually mirror the surreal and amorphous nature of Katie’s hypnotic memories. These visuals are a metaphor for the fluidity of memory: shifting, evolving, and often blending fact with fiction.
Both archival footage and AI generated imagery are taken a step further and reimagined and re-shot through experimental in-camera techniques. Innovative filtering, projections and filming through prisms create a surreal experience that transports viewers into the fragmented landscapes of memory. This transforms the documentary into a visually stunning exploration of reincarnation, hypnosis, and the mysteries of the mind.
AUDIENCE
PAST LIFE will appeal to fans of documentaries, psychological thrillers, and science fiction. Viewers drawn to stories like The Keepers or Making a Murderer will be intrigued by its investigative approach, while those captivated by the speculative elements of Inception, The Telepathy Tapes, Tell Them You Love Me or The OA will connect with its exploration of memory, consciousness, and past lives.
The film’s innovative visual style will attract art-house cinema enthusiasts. Its focus on conspiracy and secret government programs will resonate with fans of Severance, The X-Files and UFO documentaries.
By combining science with the mysterious and otherworldly, the film appeals to both skeptics and dreamers, making it a crossover hit for viewers craving thought-provoking and visually immersive storytelling.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
LEWIS RAPKIN is a renowned director, with a track record of award-winning work premiering at prestigious events like the Tribeca and Cannes Film Festivals. He has a strong portfolio of producing and editing Emmy-nominated films and series for a wide range of platforms including Paramount, HBO, Max, Hulu, Vox, Vice, Showtime, PBS, CNN, BBC, MTV, and The New York Times. As a composer, Lewis has collaborated with Google and Dolby Laboratories to pioneer one of the earliest documentary music scores mixed in Dolby Atmos surround. His music has been featured in programs for HBO, Showtime, MSNBC, VICELAND, MTV, PBS, The Shed, and The Guggenheim Museum.
DAVID SMOLER is a highly regarded cinematographer known for his work on the Academy Award-winning documentary OJ: Made in America. His visually compelling storytelling has been featured in theaters and on platforms like HBO, Disney+, PBS, Netflix, Amazon, Showtime, Hulu, Quibi. David’s expertise spans a wide range of projects, capturing everything from sweeping landscapes of Africa and Asia to intimate moments of Marina Abramovic at the Museum of Modern Art. When not traveling the world for his craft, David enjoys life at home in Southern California, where he can be found cooking or spending quality time with his beautiful wife and their lovely two-year-old Daughter, June.