“Joy” is a gripping drama about the journey that led to the birth of the first test-tube baby in 1978, Louise Joy Brown. The direction bears the signature of Ben Taylor and the cast is truly stellar and includes Thomasin McKenzie, Bill Nighy and James Norton. The film highlights the path of studies and analyzes conducted by the trio of scientists who changed the course of modern medicine forever with the discovery of in vitro fertilization.
Joy: the plot
The young nurse and one of the world’s first embryologists Jean Purdy embarks on a journey together with two visionary doctors Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe to fight the problem of infertility. To do this, the three will have to battle against the State, the Church and the medical establishment, as well as with the press, to help women who wanted to have a baby but couldn’t. The film retraces ten years of struggles and discoveries, from 1968 to 1978, the year in which Louise Joy Brown, the first child born with in vitro fertilization, finally came into the world. Also facing several medical obstacles, the trio will win, leading to a true triumph of science and opening the doors to a way of conceiving a child that had not yet been discovered but not even foreseen.
Joy: the cast and characters
Pioneering embryologist Jean Purdy is played by Thomasin McKenzie, the young New Zealand actress best known for her roles as Elsa in “Jojo Rabbit”, Eloise in “Last Night in Soho”, Eileen Dunlop in “Eileen” and Tom in trace”. Robert Edwards plays James Norton, whose artistic breakthrough came with the part of the brutal criminal Tommy Lee Royce in the BBC series “Happy Valley”. This role earned him a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. Among the latest films in which he took part are “Nowhere Special”, “The Appearance of Things”, “The Hunt for Agent Freegard” and “Bob Marley – One Love” released this year.
Patrick Steptoe is played by Bill Nighy, made famous by films such as “Love Actually”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”, “Living” and “The Beautiful Game”. The cast also includes Ella Bruccoleri (“The Strangers: Chapter 1”, “Polite Society”), Cecily Cleeve, Eoin Duffy, Mariam Haque, Douggie McMeekin, Joanna Scanlan and Tanya Moodie.
Joy: when it comes out on Netflix
“Joy” will be released on the Netflix streaming platform on November 22, 2024.
