The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Looking for a drama that respects your time, available in Australia on Foxtel Now and HBO Max, and in the US on HBO Max Amazon Channel? The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a real answer. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Oprah Winfrey leads a cast that never overplays its hand. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Foxtel Now.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The writing in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. An African-American woman becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs when her cells are used to create the first immortal human cell line in the early 1950s. Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks came out in 2017. The performances in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Oprah Winfrey is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was released in 2017, directed by George C. Wolfe. The full 93-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.