Jim Allison: Breakthrough

The immunologist James P. Allison, the title character in Bill Haney’s documentary, was awarded the Nobel Prize for his achievements in the fight against cancer. During the opening minutes of the film, we see Allison, elegantly dressed in black and white, as he receives the most prestigious of all awards during the Nobel gala. Then we see a completely different picture by way of contrast: Allison standing on stage with his band and playing the harmonica; his long, gray hair moves in waves around his cheeks. It’s not that he has two opposite personalities: James and Jim—the genius and the dude. Once he enters his lab, his natural nonchalance doesn’t disappear in the least. When he’s working, he’s not afraid to disregard his beliefs and go against the tide. He has been called an iconoclast, a rebel. And it is this attitude that enabled him to make a scientific breakthrough that has helped save countless people suffering from cancer.