Film review: The Theory of Everything - a poignant portrait

Stephen Hawking is one of those rare scientists — along with Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci — whose name is recognised by the general public. Even those who have not read A Brief History of Time, his bestselling book which seeks to make black holes and the Big Bang understandable, often know who he is.

Yet, beyond the fact that he's a genius who has a disease that has left him almost entirely paralysed, little is known about the man.

This biopic by James Marsh, whose Man on Wire (2008) won the best documentary feature Oscar, should help change this. Inspired by Hawking's first wife Jane Wilde's memoir, Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, it begins in 1963, when Hawking was an able-bodied Cambridge University PhD student — able to tear around town on his bicycle, cox a college boat crew, and chat up women at parties.

At one such social gathering, Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) meets romance languages student Wilde (Felicity Jones). Although they are poles apart in academic interests and religious beliefs (she's Church of England, he's an atheist), they both come away from the encounter with a definite interest in the other.

For a time, all seems good. Hawking does well in his studies under physics professor Dennis Sciama (David Thewlis), and his courtship works out, too. But after the young man falls and bangs his head badly enough to get admitted to hospital, he is given the shocking news that he has an incurable motor neuron disease, and only two more years to live.

As it turns out, Hawking survives many more years than that, and Wilde was his primary caregiver for the bulk of that time. Given that The Theory of Everything is based on her book, it's inevitable that the film devotes significant time to telling her story, as well as his. It also may be due to its source material that the drama focuses more on humanising the characters, than showcasing their academic accomplishments.

While this will displease those wishing for a more intellectually weighty work, it has resulted in an offering that's more emotionally involving than expected. While the film does possess serious and poignant sections, it also has moments of levity that entertain and charm, including in the later years, when Hawking is confined to a wheelchair.

Played throughout by an astonishingly convincing Redmayne, what emerges is a portrait of Hawking as a brilliant man with an unbelievably strong will, as well as a sense of humour that he retains as his illness progresses. As for Wilde, although she's shown to be no saint, Jones' sympathetic portrayal ensures that she still emerges with credit.

The Theory of Everything opens on December 4