A StudioCanal Picture, Written by Jack Thorne, Directed by Marjane Satrapi.
I managed to see an advanced screening of this film, on International Women’s Day no less, and it was perfectly fitting for such a day, the celebrate the lives and work of the Curie family, and Madam Curie in particular.
The first half of this film plays as an entirely watchable but very run of the mill biopic about the wife and husband team who fell in love and also discovered two entirely new particles, winning a Nobel prize and essentially introducing the world to radioactivity.
It is at around this point that the film changes, Marie Curie suffers a great loss, and the film transforms. It then becomes a non-linear and visually fascinating portrait of not just this remarkable woman and her life, but of the potential pitfalls of genius. We are presented with sequences depicting how radiation has been used for great good (treating cancer) and great evil (atomic bomb) throughout time, and the film and its protagonists really struggle with whether the discovery is worth it all.
It revealed fascinating layers to the legend of Marie Curie, including not just the two Nobel prizes she won, but also that later in her life she, along with her daughter (who also won a Nobel prize) turned her talents to saving countless lives in WWI.
Rosamund Pike is truly magnificent in the lead role, proving yet again she is one of the most transformative actors of her generation. She is also offered amble support by the likes of Sam Riley and Anya Taylor-Joy.
The story of the Curies is so interlaced with the idea of radioactivity that it is impossible to separate them, and this film cleverly acts as a story about both.
Rating = 3.5/5
*In the Q&A after the film, hosted by Edith Bowman, and featuring Pike, Riley, and director Marjane Satrapi (who is a unique and entertaining presence) offered even deeper insight into the passion that went into making this film.
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