It’s a unique feeling to be both mostly won over by and ultimately disappointed by a film. Yet cinema, even when it lets us down just as it builds us up, is often beautiful precisely for the sense of emotional limbo it creates. In the case of Netflix’s “Joy,” this stems from the sturdy yet rather standard execution of what is far from a standard moment in still relevant history. Not to be confused with the largely forgettable 2015 Jennifer Lawrence film of the same name, this more heartfelt historical drama centers on the creation of the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) baby, the years of research that went into the achievement and the lives of those working tirelessly to make such treatment possible. It’s also an unfortunately timely work as body autonomy and choice over birth, including IVF, again face an uncertain future.

Those doing the fighting...