Watch Miss Evers' Boys

Miss Evers' Boys is a powerful drama film from 1997 directed by Joseph Sargent and based on the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study. The movie stars Alfre Woodard as Eunice Evers, a public health nurse who participates in a government-run study of untreated syphilis in African-American men in rural Alabama during the 1930s. The film begins with Eunice receiving a call from her longtime friend Dr. Brodus (Laurence Fishburne), who asks her to help him with a new project. Eunice agrees to become the nurse for the Tuskegee Study, an experiment that aims to examine the long-term effects of syphilis on untreated patients. Along with her colleagues, Eunice travels to rural Macon County, Alabama, and begins working with a group of African-American men who are infected with syphilis.

At first, Eunice is optimistic about the project, believing that she is helping her patients receive medical care that they might not have otherwise been able to access. She develops a close relationship with the patients, whom she refers to as her "boys." However, as time goes on, Eunice begins to realize the true nature of the study. The patients are not receiving proper treatment, and are instead being used as guinea pigs in a medical experiment. Eunice becomes increasingly conflicted about her role in the project, but ultimately decides to continue working with the study.

As the years go by, Eunice witnesses the horrific effects of syphilis on her patients. Many of them develop debilitating symptoms, such as blindness, paralysis, and dementia. Despite this, the medical team in charge of the study refuses to provide proper treatment to the patients, even when antibiotics become widely available in the 1940s. Eunice becomes increasingly disillusioned with the study, but feels powerless to stop it.

The film explores themes of racism, medical ethics, and the abuses of power that can occur in the name of science. It also highlights the emotional toll that the study took on Eunice and her patients, who were treated as disposable objects rather than human beings. Both Woodard and Fishburne give outstanding performances, portraying characters who are complex, nuanced, and deeply sympathetic.

One of the most powerful scenes in the film occurs towards the end, when Eunice is asked to testify before Congress about her role in the study. She breaks down in tears, describing how she felt caught between her loyalty to her patients and her duty to the government. It's a heart-wrenching moment that underscores the moral complexity of the story.

Overall, Miss Evers' Boys is a deeply affecting film that raises important questions about medical ethics and the legacy of racism in America. While it can be difficult to watch at times, it's a movie that deserves to be seen by anyone who cares about issues of social justice and human rights.

Miss Evers' Boys is a 1997 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 58 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.1.