Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 115 mins

UK Distributor: Netflix

UK Release Date: 22 November 2024

REVIEWED AT BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2024

WHO’S IN JOY?

Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton, Bill Nighy, Joanna Scanlan, Charlie Murphy, Tanya Moodie, Ella Bruccoleri, Rish Shah

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Ben Taylor (director), Jack Thorne (writer), Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey (producers), Steven Price (composer), Jamie Cairney (cinematographer), David Webb (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A group of scientists develop the first IVF treatment…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON JOY?

For many hopeful parents, especially those unable to naturally conceive, IVF – short for “in-vitro fertilization” – has been a somewhat literal lifesaver. But nearly fifty years on from the first recorded IVF birth, the procedure remains a controversial one among conservatives who cannot seem to fathom that not everything, in this case carrying an unborn child, can be solved by prayer or faith. Whatever your stance may be on IVF, the important aspect is that it gives women the choice of parenthood if they so want it, and in times when it’s a real possibility that such choices could be taken away at any given moment, it’s never been more important to remind the women of the world that have the right to choose whatever path they wish to take with their lives.

It’s a message that’s front and centre in Joy, from director Ben Taylor, which tells the incredible story of the scientists who worked to bring IVF into the world in a charming and very sweet manner, one that is certainly televisual at times but nonetheless remains well-written, well-acted and well-intentioned enough to make for inspiring real-life drama.

The film begins in 1968, when Cambridge nurse Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie) first approaches scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton) to assist him in research that, according to him, could cure childlessness. The two also end up recruiting physician Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy) to their cause, and set up a lab in a dilapidated wing at a hospital in Oldham, Manchester. Over the next ten years, the three of them face backlash from religious circles and fellow scientific figures, as well as unexpected setbacks in their research, up until the momentous occasion when the treatment is finally able to produce some life-changing results.

In ways not so dissimilar to last year’s One Life, this film takes a very traditional approach to telling its incredible real-life story. It is structured in a very standard manner, laying out the events in an orderly fashion and showing the intricate process through moments designed by nature to get some kind of audience applause. The film has the nice, comfortable vibe of something made for the BBC to be broadcast around Christmastime, which given that Taylor himself comes from a television background (prior to this, his biggest gig was directing numerous episodes of Sex Education) does explain the low-key approach.

But also like One Life, and perhaps in ways that make it better than that film, Joy just happens to execute its familiar narrative very well. Jack Thorne’s script is filled with incredibly heartfelt moments that emphasise the passion – even, if you will, the joy – of these scientists who pursue their seemingly impossible dream in spite of all the naysayers, and Taylor brings such moments to life with warm scenery and gentle pacing that allow these scenes to play out for as long as they need to, without necessarily squeezing them for every last emotional drop.

The lead trio of actors are simply great, as their light-hearted chemistry really allows you to feel the true bond that grows between their characters, as well as the growing burden placed individually on their shoulders as more and more voices come out against them. Nighy is as warmly watchable as ever – to where it’s honestly a cultural crime that he hasn’t yet been cast in a Paddington movie – and you feel pretty heavily for Norton’s optimist, as he struggles to defend his noble position in public (often resorting to metaphorical sausages) despite the clear dedication he exhumes when around those he trusts, while Thomasin McKenzie continues to be an endearing delight as perhaps the most fleshed-out of the core three, and she carries some of the film’s heaviest moments as though they were nothing.

By all accounts, Joy is an extremely likeable film – it almost has to be, given its subject matter which, despite the wondrous things it has done for families worldwide, still comes with a target on its back. The film does explore the negative reactions from those within such conservative groups, particularly Christians who as with most things are seemingly against anything that isn’t the way of nature. This ties into McKenzie’s character, who begins the film as a Christian and regularly attends church with her fiercely religious mother (Joanna Scanlan), but as soon as word gets out about what she has signed up for, she is immediately shunned by her community with even her mother no longer wanting anything to do with her, and receives hateful mail that brand her and her colleagues as “sinners”. Though these actions are ironically not very Christian, they are also characteristic of the film’s rather thin exploration of that particular side, which isn’t to say that they’re right in any way, but a process that would have found some common ground rather than just labelling every Christian as a one-note hater perhaps may have been a healthier and more balanced approach.

Though it never entirely escapes the vibe of being a pleasantly made television movie – perhaps one of many reasons why it’s debuting on Netflix – Joy has enough going for it to make for a compelling, emotional, and important watch that highlights the necessity for IVF, at a time when such things could be about to go backwards in that field. But hopefully, if this film makes the impact that it could, it could push reproductive rights much further forward.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Joy is a very likeable and warm-hearted account of the creation of IVF treatment, which despite its occasionally unevenly-handed exploration benefits greatly from empathetic writing and some charming performances.

Click here to find out how you can see Joy at this year’s BFI London Film Festival!

Other than that, it’s too early for cinema showtimes, but click here to stay updated!