As an invigorating historical drama ‘Joy’ delivers
Nature can produce miracles. It can just as easily inflict suffering, most notably on couples who, as hard as they try, cannot conceive. For them, there were no answers beyond adoption – until 1978. That’s when Louise Joy Brown came into the world, spreading hope the world over as the first “test-tube baby.”
Nowadays, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is as prolific as the gathering forces looking to outlaw it. It defies God, its detractors say. But how can that be true when it leaves so many feeling blessed? That’s the question the charming, deeply moving “Joy” gives birth to in telling the remarkable story of how three diverse researchers dedicated 10 years of their careers to make it possible for millions to live lives they otherwise never would have led.
Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie), a nurse and embryologist with a personal interest in the project, the movie gleefully celebrates the wonder of science and its life-changing abilities. But it’s equally about the doubters and the haters, who let fear defy their better angels.
We see the toll it takes on Purdy, who is shunned by her church and her staunchly religious mother. Arguably, it’s even worse for James Norton’s Robert Edwards, who spawns the idea of using a laparoscope to draw eggs from the ovary and then fertilizing them in the lab before returning them to the womb.
It’s a process Purdy and Edwards travel 200 miles to Oldham, England, to sell to Dr. Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), a renowned surgeon adept in the new laparoscope technology. It’s 1968, and Steptoe knows from the get-go that what Edwards is proposing is going to be a catalyst for a PR shit show. “You’re aware they’ll throw the book at us,” he states with quiet resignation. “We will unite them all against us.” To paraphrase Claus von Bülow, he has no idea.
But the resolve the trio display in swimming against the tide is what renders “Joy” so inspiring. Not to mention urgent in a time when science in general and IVF, in particular, are under attack by conservatives, who earlier this year attempted to ban it in Alabama. One wishes “Joy” will help its foes see the error of their uninformed opinions, especially after witnessing the lengths wannabe mothers will go to give birth.
“Joy” is ultimately a tribute to them, particularly the first line of volunteers, who took to calling themselves the Ovum Club. You feel their optimism as much as their sorrow when the tiny steps forward don’t pan out. But their valor isn’t for naught, as the mistakes made with them enhance the possibilities for the next in line. The bravery and unselfishness they display is galvanizing.
That’s the beauty of Jack Thorne’s script, which focuses on the humanity of it all more than the science. We barely know the names of the trio’s “guinea pigs,” but all leave an unshakable impression in much the same way as the women did on “Masters of Sex.” It’s nothing fancy or pretentious, just real. And Ben Taylor’s workmanlike direction reflects that muted dignity.
Abetting him are outstanding performances by his three principles, each striving for authenticity and succeeding at drawing us fully into their character’s lives, where we see the numerous sacrifices they make for the cause. It divides families and creates self-doubt. But with few exceptions, they forge on. And I guarantee that you will dissolve into tears when they welcome Louise Joy Brown into the world.
To hold her and gaze upon her not only validates their years of toil and sweat, it fills them with the pride that for so long they’ve denied themselves. It’s really something. And so is this wonderfully unassuming movie which, like “Oppenheimer” before it, showcases science as something not just essential, but an incredibly cool endeavor that never ceases to amaze.
Movie review
Joy
Rated: PG-13 for thematic material, brief strong language, some sexual references and surgery images
Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Bill Nighy, James Norton and Tanya Moodie
Director: Ben Taylor
Writer: Jack Thorne
Runtime: 121 minutes
Where: Streaming on Netflix Nov. 22
Grade: B
