It took until 2015 for Jean Purdy’s name to be added to the plaque at the Oldham hospital where she – alongside Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe – developed IVF, a revolutionary scientific breakthrough.
New Netflix movie Joy, which held its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, seeks to right this wrong by putting the focus on Jean and her work. “She made the unbearable bearable,” says Robert Edwards (played by James Norton) in the movie’s narration, a nod to Edwards’ relentless real-life campaigning for Jean to be recognised.
Joy might not be as equally revolutionary as Jean’s work in the field of infertility, but in the vein of other British Netflix real-life movies like The Dig and The Beautiful Game, it’s a well-made and superbly-acted drama.
Joy begins in 1968 when Jean is first recruited by Robert to his research lab in Cambridge, before spanning the entire 10-year journey to the birth of Louise Joy Brown in July 1978. It marks the highs and lows of that discovery, including public outcry and the religious and ethical debates over IVF.
If you’re after a scientific retelling of the development of IVF, Joy is not that movie. Jack Thorne’s script – which he also developed with Rachel Mason – is more concerned with the human element, rooted in the emotional journey of those who have used IVF.
The movie takes care not to be just a celebration of that vital breakthrough, but also shows the cost along the way and the fate of people who weren’t so fortunate. Jean’s personal connection to the field of infertility, wrestling with the idea that she’s not a “family woman” or if she even can be, deepens the movie’s emotional core.
Even if you don’t know the story behind the development of IVF, you know where things are eventually heading. The most impressive aspect of Joy is that it’s still an incredibly affecting sequence as Louise Joy Brown is born, backed by Steven Price’s gorgeous and subtle score.
There are aspects of Joy that you’ll wish were explored further, including Jean’s relationship with her mother, to make a revelation in the movie’s second half land more effectively. Other details, such as the Medical Research Council’s denial of funding, are skirted over in one scene or mentioned once and never again.
It’s the trio of strong, engaging performances from Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton and Bill Nighy that hold Joy together. We see footage of the real-life trio at the end, and the actors have captured the dynamic of that trailblazing duo.
Joy might end up being a whistle-stop tour of the development of IVF, fitting a decade-long journey into just under two hours, but it’s also an entertaining and thoughtful drama that brings an important part of British history to life, rightfully putting Jean Purdy at its heart.
Joy is released in select cinemas on November 15 and on Netflix on November 22.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.