Meet the doctors behind the first IVF baby.
We all know that In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the procedure in which an egg is removed from a woman’s ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory. This is also known commonly as a test tube baby, and the development of it is the basis for the new British Netflix drama “Joy,” which has some flaws, but is well-acted and truthfully presented.
This first IVF baby would be known as Louise Joy Brown,” hence the film’s title “Joy.” Born in 1978, she has been considered by Britain to be among “the most remarkable breakthroughs of the 20th century.” But before we get to her, we must meet the people behind her creation.
We first meet the young nurse Jean Purdy (Thomasin Mackenzie), who finds herself working with scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton) on developing the first IVF baby. She’s willing to accept her mother Gladys (Joanna Scanlen) disowning her based on her religious views of the subject matter, and denying a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Arun (Rish Shah). She’s committed to her goal, but her real turmoil regards her own infertility. And Edwards hasn’t been seeing his family that much lately. What isn’t an idea or job without family problems?
We also see the surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), who seems like the disillusioned old doctor, but is reinvigorated by the young doctors’ optimism. And he may or may not be able to help Jean with her condition.
At the time in the 1970s, the Medical Research Council believe this could be another cause of overpopulation, or in some cases, people would accuse them of killing children. But Purdy, Edwards, and Steptoe are willing to prove them wrong. Murder is not the case. It’s creating new life, that’s the main goal.
“Joy” may be slow at times in terms of its screenplay (written by Emma Gordon, Rachel Mason, Jack Thorne, and Shaun Topp), but it does present this true story with courage and determination. And with the right somber tone, it does deal with the right themes of what such a medical procedure could bring out, and how the people deal with whatever happens. Even with this procedure, not every woman is lucky, but there are those who are. And the film helps make that clear.
Mackenzie continues to be a natural young actress who knows how to merge with dramatic tones and plays Purdy with emotions. Norton has the dialogue to act as Edwards without overselling himself. Nighy delivers his portrayal of Steptoe in the analogy of person whose perspectives are able to change through the power of optimism. And I admire the realism presented into Scanlen, who is among those who oppose this IVF idea, but isn’t pigheaded about it. So despite its imperfect screenplay, these are some very good performances.
I’m no medical expert, and I’m not completely familiar with all kinds of pregnancy treatments, whether they’re IVFs or abortions. But then again, like Jack Nicholson said in “Something’s Gotta Give,” “Hey, we’re not all doctors, baby.” But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t see how “Joy” would handle IVFs. But it’s about more than just the procedure. It’s about how these scientists were able to pull it off, despite all the road blocks put in front of them. And from what I have seen, there are a lot of them.
Streaming on Netflix Tomorrow
