Joy is the top movie on Netflix at the moment, and stars James Norton, Thomasin McKenzie and Bill Nighy as the pioneers of creating in vitro fertilisation - also known as IVF. The movie stormed to the top of the charts, and people have taken to social media to discuss- - so is it worth the watch?
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one person wrote: "#JOY is a must see for everyone involved in IVF. Edwards, Steptoe and Purdy were not just extraordinary researchers ahead of their time, but authentic heroes that fought against their world to make it real. We ate all in debt with them."
Another person wrote: "Spent a wintry afternoon watching Joy, the film about how IVF and the people who worked so hard o to make sure it happened became the wonder of science that helps create families. And I flamin' cried... buckets." A third person wrote: "Finish watching Joy on Netflix. Wonderful film great cast of actors . Bill Nighy is superb. This film is just up my street. Loved it."
Others shared their own experiences with IVF, with one writing: "To Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe and Jean Purdy, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this little miracle one of your 12 million and counting," while another wrote: "Watching #Joy on Netflix - the miracle of IVF. Grateful every day."
© Kerry Brown/NetflixThe Netflix movie tells the story of the birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, who was the world's first 'test-tube baby' - and the three scientists determined to solve the "puzzle of infertility" by creating a way of helping infertile women to conceive. The synopsis reads: "The film celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science as it follows this maverick trio of visionaries who overcame tremendous odds and opposition to realise their dream, and in doing so allowed millions of people to dream with them."
Thomasin, who plays Purdy in the new movie, opened up about playing the real-life embryologist, who passed away in 1985. She told Queue: "I wasn’t familiar with Jean Purdy before. It was infuriating because there’s very little on her. Jean was a very private person. [Co-creators] Rachel and Jack did painstaking research to find out as much about her as possible, but there was very little information out there."
© Kerry Brown/NetflixRachel added to Tudum: "Like so many women, her role had been overlooked. It’s a story that hadn’t been told, and both Bob [Edwards] and Patrick [Steptoe] were very keen that Jean was recognised."
Purdy very sadly passed away from malignant melanoma aged just 39 in 1985. She was the co-author of 26 papers alongside Steptoe and Edwards, and helped conceive 370 IVF babies in her career. Meanwhile, Steptoe passed away in 1988, while Edwards died in 2013, three years after being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on IVF.
