The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

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6.3
20171h 33m

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.

Production

Logo for HBO Films

Trailers & Videos

Thumbnail for video: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) | Official Trailer | HBO

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) | Official Trailer | HBO

Cast

Photo of Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

Deborah Lacks

Photo of Rose Byrne

Rose Byrne

Rebecca Skloot

Photo of Reg E. Cathey

Reg E. Cathey

Zakariyyah

Photo of Courtney B. Vance

Courtney B. Vance

Sir Lord Keenan Coefield

Photo of Rocky Carroll

Rocky Carroll

Sonny Lacks

Photo of Reed Birney

Reed Birney

Dr. George Gey

Photo of John Douglas Thompson

John Douglas Thompson

Lawrence Lacks

Photo of Adriane Lenox

Adriane Lenox

Barbara Lacks

Photo of Peter Gerety

Peter Gerety

Paul Lurz

Photo of Gabriel Ebert

Gabriel Ebert

Christoph Lengauer

Photo of Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Dr. Roland Pattillo

Photo of Byron Jennings

Byron Jennings

Dr. Victor McKusick

Photo of Sylvia Grace Crim

Sylvia Grace Crim

Mary Kubicek

Photo of John C. Vennema

John C. Vennema

Board Administrator

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Reviews

R

Reno

6/10

**You will know everything, but Henrietta Lacks!**

It's a good biographical drama, but the only problem is its not what exactly the title says. If you believed to learn about Henrietta Lacks and went to see it, you might end disappointingly. Because she was the only topic of the story, not the actual story, except a few glimpses. It is like you watched 'Infamous' or 'Capote', instead of 'In Cold Blood'. That's what like this film. Yet not a bad film.

A writer pursuing the family members of a person who lived in the mid 20th century, because she was a medical phenomenon. Her cells used to treat cancer, despite she had died of cancer, leaving her young kids behind. Her descendants not aware of how things work in the medical research, only misguided by others, finally, set to discover the truth themselves about all the fuss.

It was nominated for the Emmy, but did not win. Oprah was okay, but Rose Byrne impressed me. Except a misleading title, it is a good film, but I really wanted/want to know the Henrietta Lacks. That's funny, because they have told us an unnecessary story. I hope somebody would make a film about actual Henrietta Lacks!

_5.5/10_

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