Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Steven Hawking, and now, Srinivasa Ramanujen. The Man Who Knew Infinitytakes a look at the life of the mathematical genius we never knew about. Residing in Madras, India with his wife and mother, Ramanujen (Dev Patel) sends a letter to a Cambridge Professor named Godfrey Hardy (Jeremy Irons) sharing just a sample of his visionary originality which he claims are sent to him from God.
As he sets sail for England, he leaves behind his family with uncertainty when he will return. He arrives in Cambridge and begins working on outlandish theories which wows professors throughout the university.
Much to the disappointment of Ramanunjan, Russell asks for mathematical proofs to these theories which then creates an extended length of time as he wishes to be with his wife again. Matters worsen when Ramanujen is taken to the university Doctor and is diagnosed with early signs of Tuberculosis.
For the most part however, everything doesn’t seem urgent enough in this film. They spend large amounts of time bickering between one another about why Ramanujen should bother writing proofs of his work when he has the ability to create incredible theories from his mind. This connection between mentor and student felt forced, and considering it’s what’s driving the story, there needed to be some more backstory so we knew them better.
It also struggles in its ability to simplify what they’re doing and why it’s so important. To me, equations just look like numbers and letters written on a page, and the film doesn’t even attempt to translate for us, we’re just meant to accept what they’re doing as groundbreaking and genius.
Similar to the Theory of Everything, this film follows a mathematical genius racing time, whilst hamstrung by the slow process of publication. Where it differs from the Hawking biopic however, is in its inability to steer away from theoretical physics and concentrate on other factors of his life that are more engaging, such as his marriage.
The film never truly lives up to its sweeping title. There isn’t a strong coherent storyline and the subject matter is as dry as Jeremy Irons vocal tones. There is an interesting subplot of the racism that Ramanujan receives while attending Cambridge, and another as he watches the effects of WWI from his boarding room window. Perhaps these story arcs should have been the focus as these aspects of the film seemed much more interesting.
The acting is the movies best attribute with a cast doing its best with what’s been given to them. A special mention to Devika Bhise who was the standout as the suppressed wife and created the only real emotional attachment in the film.
There is enough to like and enough to dislike about this film. If biopics about historical mathematicians is interesting in any way to you, then it’s definitely worth a watch.
Rating 3.5/5
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