Thursday, January 22, 2015

Review - The Theory of Everything

(Spoilers are blanked out. Highlight to read.)


This movie about the life of Stephen Hawkings made me feel uncomfortable. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. Even when he was young and able to speak and function normally, the young Stephen Hawking was still such a socially awkward character. Socially awkward people make me feel uneasy in real life, and having to watch one fumble through the dating process with a wonderful girl in so much detail was a bit painful.

2. The movie was based on a book published by his wife. It is a biographical account of people who are still currently alive, and that made it particularly uncomfortable when the dirty laundry started to get aired. I don't think I can look at Stephen Hawking and his family in the same way again.

3. Stephen Hawking's theories reflect his life's philosophy - that there are no boundaries. While this was inspiring when you see how he overcame the odds with his disability, it becomes uncomfortable when the boundaries around his marriage relationship begin to bend and break. Some members of the audience in my theatre could not help laughing at how warped this supposed love story had become towards the end.

While the acting in this film was superb, the movie failed to properly explore issues like the tension between science and religion beyond a superficial level. I feel uncomfortable even writing this film critique because it's critiquing not just a movie, but also a living person's life.


TL;DR 
Pushing the boundaries in science is inspiring, but pushing the boundaries in marriage is not.

Bechdel Test: Passed - mother spoke to daughter about joining the choir.

No. of films seen this year with:
White man saving the world - 1
Non-white/male protagonist - 0

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