"The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks" will air on HBO on April 22, 2017. The first trailer is out so fans can get an idea what the movie is about. Those who have already seen the trailer have said Oprah Winfrey's performance is worthy of an Emmy.
Rose Byrne and Renée Elise Goldsberry star in the film along with Oprah. The HBO movie is about the real life story of Henrietta Lacks from Baltimore, Maryland. She was an African-American woman who died in 1951 at the age of 31. Four months after giving birth, she was treated for cervical cancer. Without her knowledge or permission, a sample of her tissue and cells were used for medical research.
Henrietta Lacks' story
It was not until 1975, that the family of Henrietta Lacks found out about the biopsy and the sample of the cancerous cells that later became known as HeLa (probably named after using the first two letters of Henrietta Lacks' name). Because of the research, many people worldwide have been helped to have healthier lives.
The movie
The HBO movie is based on the 2010 New York Time best-selling book by the same name as the film. The book was written by Rebecca Skloot. She and Henrietta's daughter, Deborah Lacks, played by Winfrey in the movie, collaborated on what to include in the book that is also included in the movie. Skloot helped Deborah uncover information about her mother and found out what happened to her cells.
Through the search for information, it was determined that at time of Henrietta's death, permission was not required for the use of her cells that were used in medical research and for commercial purposes. The Supreme Court of California ruled in a similar case in 1990 that discarded tissue and cells no longer belonged to the patient.
Whether people are interested in medical research or not, viewers will more than likely be intrigued by the movie. While it is a film based on medical research, it is also a film based on the search for the truth involving a loved one.
Mark your calendar for April 22 to see the HBO film. In the meantime, watch the trailer that is now available.
