For me, Stephen Hawking was just a name I heard sometimes, but didn’t really have a face to match it to. I knew the name was often paired with science and intelligence, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. That all changed when I went to see the new movie “The Theory of Everything.” I can now say, watching it was one of the best and most influential decisions I’ve made this year.
As the story progressed, I found myself incredibly caught up in Hawking??s life, almost forgetting that I was sitting in a theatre with many other people. The movie is based on the non-fiction book, ??Traveling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen Hawking?? written by Hawking??s first wife, Jane Wilde. The movie follows Stephen as he meets Jane, falls in love, and then is sadly diagnosed with a life changing disease known as motor neuron Disease, a form of ALS. He is given only two years to live.
Jane is depicted as an extremely strong person as she carries on through the burden of having to take care of not only herself, but also her three children and Stephen. Her self-sacrifice and undying devotion to Stephen is something to look up to. She keeps Stephen going and inspires him just as she will inspire you. I think that it was really important for Jane to be highlighted as not many people know of her and how much she did for Stephen.
The movie also touches on Stephens involvement in science, as he strives to accomplish his goal of discovering where life came from and where it will end; hence, the name ??The Theory of Everything.?? However, if you are looking for an educational movie about science, this is not the one for you. It focuses more on the romantic side of his life, rather than his academic accomplishments. This could be a negative thing for huge fans of science and those who follow Stephen??s work in cosmology.
Not only is the story told beautifully, but the movie itself is beautiful to watch. With scenes such as men sitting at a party with suits glowing under a UV light; fireworks; couples spinning hand in hand; cream swirling in coffee; children running in slow motion; and many other breathtaking visuals that embody life in the time period in which it takes place. The simple, yet, powerful scenes just add to the emotion and beautifully directed film. The most touching scene, in my opinion, was one in which all of the movie, up until a single point, runs in reverse and in slow motion. This visual further proves how much Stephen??s life changes.
The acting completely blew me away. I have not stopped talking about Eddie Redmayne??s performance since I saw it. I was left absolutely speechless. He completely transforms himself into Stephen Hawking and the amount of details that he focuses on is unbelievable. The movement of his mouth, his eyebrows, the tilt of his head, the curling of his hands, the hunched back, his speech, and his way of walking creates an astonishing visual of the physical effects of ALS. The way he holds himself is instantly recognizable as the man that he plays, but he didn??t just play Stephen Hawking or impersonate him, he became Stephen Hawking.
My favorite thing about the movie is that it??s main focus was not on what Stephen was not able to do because of his disability, but what he was able to do despite his disability. Yes, his disease is a key aspect of the movie, but I believe the main message is that Stephen was able to continue his dream job, publish multiple books, become a college professor, define an era of science, raise three children, find love, defy time itself by far exceeding his life expectancy, and so much more.
His story shows anyone can do these things.
In Hawking’s words:???However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.??
