In 1951, the doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital made a startling discovery that would change the course of medical research forever. A biopsy from an African American cancer patient named Henrietta Lacks yielded cells that could be reproduced indefinitely, providing an endless supply of human cells for medical research. Over the following decades, these HeLa cells, as they were anonymously known, were utilized to make amazing medical breakthroughs in many areas, from in vitro fertilization to finding treatments to cure AIDS. While Henrietta Lacks’ cells were famous in the medical community, little was known about the woman whose life had helped to save millions of others’. Even Henrietta Lacks’ children knew very little about their own mother—and were even unaware that her cells had been duplicated and distributed world-wide over the past 5 decades.

When freelance science writer Rebecca Skloot (Rose Byrne) learns about these HeLa cells, she decides to write a book about the life of Henrietta Lacks, so that everyone would know about the woman who had touched so many lives anonymously. Her quest to learn more about this woman who had been the catalyst for many major medical breakthroughs begins with tracking down her children. However, recent events have the Lacks family a bit wary of strangers snooping into their business, especially a white female stranger from Portland. Ever since they first learned of the HeLa cells, the Lacks children have felt lied to, betrayed and taken advantage of. Even though Johns Hopkins claims to have made no money from their mother’s cells, the children can’t help but feel like they had been scammed and swindled. While some of the family members are bitter about not receiving any compensation, Henrietta’s youngest daughter, Deborah (Oprah Winfrey) just wants to have her mother’s story told. She is eager to learn more about her mother and her sister, Elsie, who died under mysterious circumstances when she was young.

Deborah eventually welcomes Rebecca into her home and aids her in her research expedition into her family’s past. However, Deborah always has her guard up, wondering if Rebecca has ulterior motives for wanting to write the book, and is always questioning who is funding her investigation. However, the deeper they delve into the past, they not only learn more about this extraordinary woman who lived a hard life only to die at a young age, but the Lacks children are forced to confront many demons from their past that they had once locked away.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is based on the best-selling novel of the same name, and is an entertaining, heartfelt and inspirational look at this real-life journey taken on by two strangers to learn and tell the story of this once-anonymous woman whose cells can be thanked for thousands of major medical breakthroughs and have helped to save millions of lives over the past five decades. Oprah Winfrey gives a stand-out performance playing the slightly unstable Deborah, who suffers from many ailments brought on by the stress of her traumatic childhood as well as from the discovery of what the hospital had done with her mother’s cells without the family’s consent. Rose Byrne is also delightful as the American author who earnestly wants to make sure the world knows the name and story of this woman who has touched so many lives.

The film tempers its deeply-dramatic scenes with many moments of joy and humor. There is this fun dynamic between Deborah and Rebecca. They both know they need each other in order to have this story told. They are both feisty, and when there is a disagreement, they can give it back to one another equally. There are some humorous moments when Deborah goes off on these rants about conspiracy theories and cloning, and one particularly funny scene is when Rebecca first meets Deborah’s brother Zakariyya (Reg E. Cathey)—Rose Byrne delivers this perfect nervous laugh. There are also some fun dinnertime conversations with Deborah’s aunts as they recount stories about Henrietta, and we learn more about this extraordinary woman and the tough life she lived through flashbacks. The film also explores the rough childhoods the Lacks children experienced growing up without their mother, and the dark secrets they hide. Through the investigation into the life of Henrietta Lacks, the children are able to fill a void that’s been empty their whole lives and come together as a family.
 

The Blu-ray presentations looks and sounds great. The picture is crisp, clean and nearly flawless. The rich colors of the landscapes, farmhouses, and flashback period sets are captured beautifully. The audio track provides both clear dialogue as well as an immersive viewing experience—whether it’s making you feel like you are right in the middle of a pouring rainstorm, or just surrounding you with the tribal thumping of drumbeats in the score. The only bonus material is two short behind-the-scenes featurettes. While it’s interesting to get a glimpse behind-the-scenes and meet some of the real folks portrayed in the film (and some of their relatives), the combined total of these bonus features is under 6 minutes. The Blu-ray disc comes packed in standard HD keepcase which also contains an insert with a code to redeem UltraViolet & iTunes digital copies of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:32:38)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS Digital Surround 5.1, Spanish DTS Digital Surround 2.0
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Digital HD (Redemption Deadline 12/31/2022):

• UltraViolet Digital HD copy redeemable via Vudu or FandangoNow
• Digital HD copy redeemable via iTunes or Google Play

Extras:

• Family Featurette (2:31)
  The director, star and family members talk about the legacy of Henrietta Lacks. Participants include Alfred Carter, Jr. (Deborah’s son/Henrietta’s grandson), Oprah Winfrey (“Deborah”), Vicky Baptiste (Lawrence’s granddaughter/Henrietta’s great-granddaughter), director George C. Wolfe, Shirley Lacks (Deborah’s sister-in-law/Henrietta’s daughter-in-law), Zakariyya Lacks (Henrietta’s son), Jeri Lacks Whye (Sonny’s daughter/Henrietta’s granddaughter), author Rebecca Skloot, Sonny Lacks (Henrietta’s son), David Lacks, Jr. (Sonny’s son/Henrietta’s grandson), Ladonna Johnson (Lawrence’s daughter/Henrietta’s granddaughter), Latonya Carter (Deborah’s daughter/Henrietta’s granddaughter), and Davon Meade (Deborah’s grandson/Henrietta’s great-grandson).
• Filming in Georgia (3:16)
  The cast and crew talk about what it was like filming in Atlanta. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with executive producer Lydia Dean Pilcher, producer Kathryn Dean, and actors Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Henrietta Lacks”) & Rocky Carroll (“Sonny Lacks”). In part this feels like a promo for tax credits and the Georgia film industry.

Final Thoughts:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an entertaining look at this real-life road trip by two women, and their quest to make the identity and story of a previously-unknown woman whose cells have been helping to save lives worldwide for over 50 years known. The Blu-ray presentation looks and sounds great, but there are minimal bonus features included. That said, this release comes recommended on the film alone, and the stellar performances by the leads as well as the amazing supporting cast.