Breakthrough

The documentary is about a scientist. Jim Allison grew up in Texas. He is a musician too and plays the harmonica. He lost his mother to cancer. The disease shaped his life. At university he became interested in the immune system. His research led him to the T cell receptor. He argued that the immune system could fight cancer. The medical world looked on the idea with doubt for a long time. Allison worked alone for years. In the end the treatment was accepted. He received the 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine. He shared it with Tasuku Honjo. The documentary follows that long process. Woody Harrelson narrates the film. Jim Allison appears in the ninety minute documentary. It is an American production Bill Haney finished in 2019.