Director: Ben Taylor
Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton, Bill Nighy
Running Time: 115 minutes
Synopsis: It's the late 1960s in Cambridge, and nurse Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie) is hired by researcher Dr. Robert Edwards (James Norton) to work on a new reproductive technique. They team up with controversial surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), secure a derelict lab in Oldham, and recruit volunteer would-be parents. Their attempts to inseminate an egg outside the embryo are met with societal and religious opposition, and Jean is shunned by her mother Gladys (Joanna Scanlan). The experiments continue for years without a breakthrough, increasing the emotional toll on Jean.
What Works Well: This a breezy story of perseverance and determination to advance the science of fertility. Mostly seen through the eyes of the less famous team member Jean Purdy, the drama finds the right balance between respecting science and not succumbing to details. The rudimentary and barely-funded backwater lab in Oldham adds character and confirmation that innovations can occur in unlikely surroundings. Thomasin McKenzie is a bright spark as Jean Purdy's growth into an empathetic nurse mirrors the maturing research work, and she is ably supported by James Norton (inventive scientist but inept at public relations) and Bill Nighy (typical crustiness).
What Does Not Work As Well: The societal opposition is touched upon but only at superficial levels, and it's left to Jean's mom to personify the depth of discomfort with the science of conception. With the well-known outcome a foregone conclusion, the storytelling is more functional than artistic, and the volunteer parents are mostly walk-ons.
Key Quote:
Edwards: I am a scientist Jean. I fail every day in the hope that I'll succeed once in twenty years.
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