Most people will recognize Eddie Redmayne as Marius in the 2012 film Les Misérables. This time he steps into the role as Stephen Hawking in this adaptation of the physicist’s ex-wife Jane Hawking’s memoir about their young romance. His work is brilliant and at times heartbreaking. The film takes us back to the physicist’s time as a young man pursuing his PhD at Cambridge. Young Hawking is quirky, charming, and a bit of a lazy student, but never fails to prove his scientific brilliance with his most exciting ideas and theories stemming from black holes and the beginning of the universe. At the same time, it leads to the general decline of his physical health due to the motor neuron disease ALS during the beginning stages of his romance with Jane Hawking, played by Felicity Jones.
This is a love story, chronicling the passionate, complicated and touching story of how Hawking and his first wife Jane met and gradually built a life together, while best trying to adjust to Hawking’s increasing need to rely on her both as lover and caretaker. Redmayne’s performance even earned the approval of the real Hawking, so much so that he, as did everyone in the Princess of Wales theatre, shed tears while watching the film. In the Q&A, Redmayne also revealed that the real Hawking provided his special speech-generating computer voice to the film. I felt the emotion just watching the trailer alone, so when you watch this film you better have a tissue box around!
Verdict 5 out of 5
