“Joy” tells the true story of the world's first test-tube baby

The biopic “Joy,” which had its world premiere Tuesday at the London Film Festival, chronicles the decades-long efforts of three British doctors and scientists to develop in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology.

The film focuses on the lesser-known story of nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy, played by Thomasin McKenzie, who, along with physiologist Robert Edwards (James Norton) and gynecologist Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), searches for a cure for infertility.

The ups and downs of their experiments and laboratory work are presented in detail. The film, which spans from the late 1960s to the late 1970s, also delves into the effect that negative public perception of the project had on her personal life.

“It's a huge responsibility to tell Jane's story and also to tell the story of IVF because she had such a huge impact on the world,” McKenzie said of the role of Purdy, whose contribution has long gone unrecognized.

“Jean Bourdy, as usual, was excluded from the whole matter,” Nighy added. “The fact that she's at the center of the story here is a big part of the appeal for me.”

“Joy” is the feature film debut of television director Ben Taylor. The film's subject matter was something close to the heart of Taylor and screenwriters and husband-and-wife team Rachel Mason and Jack Thorne.

“It's a very personal story because we have children through IVF,” Taylor said. “I feel an enormous sense of gratitude towards these three people. I think for anyone who has been affected by infertility or IVF or knows someone who has been, the film is very interesting because it is a very emotional subject.

Louise Joy Brown, the first person to give birth through the triple procedure and born in 1978, attended the film's premiere on Tuesday.

“Without them, those three, I wouldn't be here, and neither would 12 million of us. So, they're not just a few of us, they're very few now,” she said.

“Joy” will be streaming on Netflix starting November 22.