Jeri Jacquin
This week on Bluray from director George C. Wolfe and HBO
Home Entertainment is an Original Film that tells the story of cells from THE
IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS.
Rebecca Skloot (Rose Byrne) is a young woman on a mission,
to discover the story of Henrietta Lacks (Renee Goldsberry). An
African-American woman who became the medical breakthrough as the first human
cell line in the 1950’s.
She reaches out to Deborah Lacks (Oprah Winfrey) and
immediately stonewalled and told the men in the family would have to agree.
Rebecca meets with several members including Sonny (Rocky Carroll), Lawrence
(John Thompson), Day (Roger Robinson) and Barbara (Adriane Lenox), only to
discover there is a hostility about the way the cells were obtained and who is
profiting.
It is different with Deborah who only wants the truth to be
told about her mother. Rebecca meets a woman who is has idiosyncrasies and doesn’t
care what the other family members want or need. Deborah begins to tell her
side of things and listens to what Rebecca has to say. Learning that her mother
has had a literal hand in all things medical keeps Deborah on her toes.
So much so that she trusts no one and has a short fuse. Yet the
next day Deborah introduces Rebecca to Zakariyya (Reg Cathey) who shares his
anger with Dr. George Gey (Reed Birney). Taking a trip, Deborah takes her to
meet Henrietta’s sister Gladys (Andrea Frye) and Sadie (Leslie Uggams) who
shared the fun side of life.
That puts Rebecca into high working with Deborah and other
family members to put a life with the cells. That angers her brothers who want
Deborah to stop. The story Sir
Lord Keenan Kester Cofield
As their journey together goes deeper and deeper, Deborah
falls deeper into a dark place trying to make sense of the life she knew and
the one she is trying to live now.
Winfrey as Deborah plays a very complex character. She wants
to learn all the details of what has happened to her family but her mind goes
into scary places the more she remembers. There are moments of sheer panic
followed by the intensity of mistrust and the tears of a child who is confused
about the mother she lost as a child. That’s a difficult character to navigate
but Winfrey does so eloquently.
Byrne as Rebecca is a woman who has no idea what she is
getting into. Thinking that writing a story about a woman’s life and cells is
one thing but when it becomes clear that Henrietta is so much more she takes a
different path. Forming a friendship with Deborah is more than she could ever
have imagined and it changes her moment by moment as the words of the story
form.
Cathey as Zakariyya has the same issues of anger and bad
memories as Deborah and leans on her to take the family journey together. His
moment of seeing his mother’s cells is childlike and loving.
Beasley as Cliff is a man who sees the pain that Deborah is
in and brings his spirituality to guide her and its amazing. Uggams as Sadie is
the keeper of happier times with Henrietta and also their eventual protector.
Other cast includes Byron Jennings as Dr. Victor McKusick,
Leon Lamar as Cootie, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Dr. Roland Pattillo, and Karen
Reynolds as Mrs. Gey.
HBO Home Entertainment has an extensive array of
critically-acclaimed and groundbreaking programs found on Bluray, DVD and
Digital HD. They have provided viewers with some of the most amazing programs
with huge fan bases that include the shows True
Blood, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Detectives, The Wire, Entourage and Game of Thrones. Launched in 1984, HBO
is world wide in viewed entertainment in more than 70 territories around the
world! For more of what they have to offer please visit www.hbo.com.
The Bluray includes the Bonus Features of Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne, along with
writer/director George C. Wolfe and members of the Lacks Family, discuss the
legacy of Henrietta Lacks in this compelling Family Featurette.
THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS is based on the book by
Rebecca Skloot. The film comes full circle with an ending that tugs at the
heart. The story is one of family, secrets, pain and the immortality of one
woman for all of mankind.
The relationship between Rebecca and Deborah is tumultuous
at best and a journey neither one of them could ever have expected. Learning to
trust one another and wanting Henrietta’s story to be told truthfully, good and
bad, makes this story even more moving and intense.
Break out the tissue because this story, from beginning to
end, will bring out every emotion.
In the end – discover what we are all made of!
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