Exciting news from Netflix reveals an astonishing development for children facing severe neurological disabilities. There exists a groundbreaking treatment that offers hope for kids who’ve been otherwise dismissed by standard medical practices. This revolutionary therapy isn’t yet available through national health services or typical providers across the U.S. and Europe, but it’s quietly changing lives under the radar.
The focus of the Mexican film “Lucca’s World,” which topped Netflix’s non-English-language films last week, is on this innovative treatment using a device called Cytotron. The film follows a determined family, driven by the memoir of a tenacious mother, Bárbara Anderson. The family explores every avenue for bettering their son’s life. Upon discovering the Cytotron, they become convinced of its potential to dramatically enhance brain function by activating and creating new neuronal connections, effectively rewriting the impact of their son Lucca’s severe cerebral palsy. Hailed as a potential milestone in medical history, its benefits do come with a hefty price tag—$50,000 per treatment in the film—making clear its groundbreaking nature.
One character, a physician clinging to traditional methods, voices skepticism that the device’s creators would already hold a Nobel prize if their claims were true. Yet, he stands corrected when Lucca begins to take aided steps and utters “mama”—a postscript confirms Lucca has started walking and talking. The movie leaves audiences with a powerful takeaway from Anderson: the importance of perseverance and never giving up on the possibility of improvement for their loved ones.
Understanding this resolve is something my spouse and I, as parents to a toddler with cerebral palsy, deeply relate to. Since our son’s brain injury, we’ve delved into extensive research, engaged countless professionals, and invested in treatments without definite assurances of success.
The film’s depiction of an exhausted search resonates with anyone in our situation. The challenge lies in confronting that the science is as ambiguous as it is hopeful, with experts often advocating for a “worth trying” approach over “absolute action.” We’ve learned that as parents, we must be the strongest champions for our child.
Despite this, maintaining a foundation in reality is vital. While watching “Lucca’s World,” it struck us as surprising that Netflix would aim to inspire millions with such a potentially misleading narrative. Despite a disclaimer about dramatization, viewers would expect a true story to maintain factual integrity—which, unfortunately, the film does not. For many eager families, the allure of Lucca’s reality is simply unfeasible.
Publicity surrounding the film includes comments from Anderson in which she insists she doesn’t recommend or endorse the treatment, merely recounts their personal journey with an experimental process that worked for their son. This statement seems at odds with the film indicating that the family, alongside investors, went on to acquire two Cytotrons, setting up the first clinic outside India, only to see a study discontinued due to lack of progress.
Looking beyond the film for support of the Cytotron, another Mexican entity, Neurocytonix, presents the device under the name Neurocytotron. Despite claiming completion of a significant trial in 2021, results remain unpublished—a delay many would consider “highly unusual.” Experts in our network describe it less charitably. A recent statement from the Mexican Society of Pediatric Neurology confirmed the lack of proven effectiveness through clinical trials.
When we reached out to Neurocytonix, they distanced themselves from the film and mentioned a second study phase completed last year, with future publication plans—but offered no explanation for the delay. They highlighted that the treatment’s efficacy remains unverified and implied Anderson’s interpretation might lack scientific rigor.
The film’s other notable figure, Rajah Vijay Kumar, previously garnered attention with Shycocan—a device he claimed could prevent COVID-19 transmission—though lacking credible scientific validation or FDA approval.
As for Lucca, while his portrayal in the film is dramatized, his real-life progress shown online doesn’t mirror the film’s depiction. Videos of Lucca using supportive apparatuses show a reality where functional outcomes are still developing, contradicting any narrative of complete recovery.
If Lucca has experienced positives from this treatment, that is indeed remarkable. However, without scientific proof of its broader applicability, the film unfortunately stirs hope for unattainable outcomes, as demonstrated by families resorting to crowdfunding for a costly “research donation” due to legal constraints on charging for unapproved treatments.
Overall, while “Lucca’s World” leaves audiences with a feel-good resolution, it perpetuates an oversimplified narrative that could better be described as “inspiration porn”—overlooking complexities while spotlighting perceived triumphs of the disabled as motivational stories void of the full picture.
The film’s depiction, implying these children need ‘fixing’ rather than acknowledging their inherent wholeness, simplifies parental efforts into binary outcomes of success versus surrender, unrealistic of true experiences. Yet, amidst this, Lucca smiles at the viewer himself, maintaining authenticity, as Coldplay’s lyrics bridge the message: “I will try to fix you.”
