The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (film)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a drama television film directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne. It is based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Skloot and documents the story of Henrietta Lacks, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the 1950s, and whose cancer cells (later known as HeLa) would change the course of cancer treatment. The film premiered on HBO on April 22, 2017.[1]

For the book from which this film was derived, see The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Based onThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
Screenplay byPeter Landesman
Alexander Woo
George C. Wolfe
Directed byGeorge C. Wolfe
StarringOprah Winfrey
Rose Byrne
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Courtney B. Vance
Reg E. Cathey
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Leslie Uggams
ComposerBranford Marsalis
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersAlan Ball
Carla Gardini
Peter Macdissi
Lydia Dean Pilcher
Oprah Winfrey
ProducerKathryn Dean
CinematographySofian El Fani
EditorAaron Yanes
Running time1 hour and 32 minutes
Production companiesYour Face Goes Here Entertainment
Harpo Films
Cine Mosaic
DistributorHBO
Release
Original networkHBO
Original release
  • April 22, 2017 (2017-04-22)

Cast

Production

The film was announced on May 2, 2016 with Alan Ball and Oprah Winfrey as executive producers. George C. Wolfe would direct the film, with Winfrey taking the role of Lacks' daughter Deborah.[2] In July, Rose Byrne was cast as Rebecca Skloot, the author of the book about Henrietta, who befriends Deborah while reporting on her mother's life,[3] and Renée Elise Goldsberry was cast as the titular Henrietta Lacks.[4] The core supporting cast was rounded out in August 2016, with Courtney B. Vance, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Reg E. Cathey and Leslie Uggams amongst them.[5] After several weeks of shooting in Atlanta, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks began filming in Baltimore in September, 2016.[6][7] Two of Henrietta Lacks's sons, Zakariyya and Sonny, were consultants on the film.[8]

Reception

Critical reception

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with Winfrey's performance gaining high praise. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 65%, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10.[9] On Metacritic the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]

Accolades

The film was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards held September 17, 2017.[11]

References
  1. Agard, Chancellor (February 14, 2017). "Oprah Winfrey's Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks gets HBO premiere date". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  2. Andreeva, Nellie (May 2, 2016). "Oprah Winfrey To Star In HBO Films' 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  3. Petski, Denise (July 15, 2016). "Rose Byrne Joins Oprah Winfrey In HBO Films' 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  4. Petski, Denise (July 25, 2016). "Renée Elise Goldsberry Cast In HBO Films' 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  5. Pedersen, Erik (August 11, 2016). "Courtney B. Vance, Leslie Uggams, 7 Others Join Oprah Winfrey In HBO's 'Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  6. Mayhugh, Jess (September 21, 2016). "Oprah's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" Films in Baltimore This Week". Baltimore Magazine. Rosebud Entertainment. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  7. Britto, Brittany (September 21, 2016). "Oprah Winfrey spotted in Baltimore as 'Henrietta Lacks' movie films in city". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore Sun Media Group. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  8. Shechet Epstein, Sonia. "Sloan Science & Film". Sloan Science & Film. Museum of the Moving Image. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  9. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  10. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  11. Framke, Caroline (July 13, 2017). "Emmy nominations 2017: the full list". Vox. Vox Media. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
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