As humans roam the earth trying to answer questions like “what
is the meaning of life” and “is there life after death”, famous physicist
Stephen Hawking seeks to answer larger questions regarding space, time and the
universe; belittling the philosophical questions asked on a daily basis.
Spanning from his early PhD, he has written books, proven and disproven
theories, and fought against Multiple Sclerosis to find one equation to solve
all questions about the universe; in other words, a theory for everything.
Eddie Redmayne had the prestigious honor of playing Hawking in The Theory of Everything, the making of
Jane Hawking’s novel Travelling toInfinity: My Life with Stephen. Telling their love story, the movie
begins from the early days of Jane and Stephen’s relationship to their bond
now. Felicity Jones takes on the role of Jane Hawking, completing the power
dynamic to tell the triumphant, beautiful, and encouraging story of the
Hawkings.
With a timely arrival, The
Theory of Everything comes at an all time high for Multiple Sclerosis and
ALS awareness. With the Ice Bucket Challenge and #StopDropSelfie movements
becoming viral sensations, the movie endorses the awareness of the illness and
encourages people to donate towards foundations funding research and recovery
centers. No longer faceless, ALS is a term everyone is aware of and the movie
is a tipping point for the Multiple Sclerosis awareness.
Leave all intentions of crying from sadness at the door.
Instead of being emotional from the effects of Multiple Sclerosis, the moments
of connection between Jane and Stephen are the real tearjerkers.
The chemistry between Jones and Redmayne is incredible and can
easily be confused as the real couple and their progression throughout their
lives. Sharing significant moments of strength and courage between the two,
Jones carries the weight as the primary caregiver and communicator for their
growing family as Redmayne captures Hawking’s wit and charm with minimalistic
facial expressions and emotions. Bouncing off each other, Jones and Redmayne
radiate love and compassion and encapsulate audiences from beginning to end.
With months of interacting with Multiple Sclerosis patients and
meeting the man himself, Redmayne does Hawking justice by reiterating his
intelligence with convincing arguments of physics, cosmology and time.
Simplistic moments like staring at a fire results in eureka moments of the
combustion of stars and black holes, concepts the average person would never consider
possible at the time. Proving that passion, drive and brilliance overshadows
appearance and ability, Hawking is clearly in a league of his own and can be
recognized as one of the geniuses of the century.
Building emotions throughout the movie, the finale leaves on a
positive note and recognizes the light and positivity of Hawking’s situation.
After all, the disease may have taken a toll on his life but it did not stop
his ambitions to search for a greater meaning in the universe. Showing an
alternate side of Stephen Hawking, The
Theory of Everything is a must-see for the century and an extraordinary
tale that needed to be told.
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