Oppenheimeris one of the biggest and most anticipated films of 2023. Powered by the incredible combination of Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy, the film will bring forth the extraordinary story of theoretical physicistRobert J. Oppenheimer, often called the ‘father of the atomic bomb’. With a budget of $100 million and a stellar cast to boot, it is possibly the most expensive biopic of all time.
However, some lesser-known or overlooked biopics on scientists also deserve a watch. Here are the best biopics about scientists to check out beforeOppenheimerhits theaters.
11Creation (2009)
The 2009 biopicCreationtells the story of British biologist and naturalist Charles Darwin, who proposed the theory of evolution. The movie focuses on a period of Darwin’s life when he was struggling to reconcile his scientific theories with his personal beliefs and the reactions of his family, particularly his devout wife. The movie also explores Darwin’s relationship with his daughter Annie, who tragically died at a young age, and the effect her death had on Darwin’s personal and professional life, particularly the publication of his seminal 1859 workOn the Origin of Species.
Throughout the movie, flashbacks and hallucinations provide insight into Darwin’s mental and emotional state. While the movie received positive reviews for its portrayal of Darwin and the themes it explored, it was also controversial due to its portrayal of religion and its emphasis on Darwin’s struggles with his faith. Nonetheless,Creationis an interesting and thought-provoking look at the life and work of one of the most influential scientists in history.
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The film starred real-life couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly as Charles and Emma Darwin. It also featured Benedict Cumberbatch as the British botanist and explorer Joseph Dalton Hooker, in what was one of his earlier film credits.
10Radioactive (2020)
The appropriately titled British biopicRadioactiveis based on the 2010 graphic novelRadioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout,which in turn is based on the life and work of Marie Curie. Helmed by the acclaimed French-Iranian graphic novelist and director Marjan Satrapi (known for writing the graphic novelPersepolis), the film is an earnest feminist take on the exceptional life of the Nobel Prize winner who outshone in a male-dominated field and paid the price for it. The film also picks on the profound impact of her discovery of radium and polonium, and her pioneering work on radioactivity.
Despite a flawed script,Rosamund Pike was widely lauded for her portrayal of Marie Curie, while Anya-Taylor Joy played the role of her daughter and fellow Nobel laureate Irene-Joliot Curie.
9Tesla (2020)
The prodigal Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla had an eventful life full of struggle, rivalries, inventions, entrepreneurship, and romancing (albeit, a pigeon). So, naturally encapsulating his life on celluloid is a tough task. Despite that, he has been portrayed on screen several times (including David Bowie playing him inThe Prestige) borrowing and fictionalizing various aspects of his life.
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The 2020 Michael Almereyda biopicTesla,starring Ethan Hawke, is one of the few times his life has been captured on the big screen. Mostly resting on Hawke’s brilliance, the film has been faithful in depicting his friendships, his rivalry with Thomas Alva Edison, his entrepreneurial spirit, and his struggles as an inventor.
8Temple Grandin (2010)
Born in 1947, Mary Temple Grandin is an American academic and animal behaviorist who is widely recognized for her advocacy of humane treatment for livestock during slaughter. With over 60 scientific papers on animal behavior to her credit, Grandin is a respected authority on the subject. She serves as a consultant to the livestock industry, providing guidance on animal behavior, and is also an advocate for autism awareness.
In 2010, Mick Jackson directed a television film titledTemple GrandinfeaturingClaire Danes as the titular character. The film is based on her memoirs,EmergenceandThinking in Pictures. It premiered on HBO and received numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for Danes.
7Kinsey (2004)
Alfred Charles Kinsey was an American professor of entomology and zoology, biologist, and sexologist. He founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University in 1947, now referred to as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. Kinsey is renowned for his two landmark publications, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953), commonly known as the Kinsey Reports, and for devising the Kinsey scale. His pioneering research on human sexuality, which revolutionized the field of sexology, generated controversy in the 1940s and 1950s and continues to do so even today, long after his death. Nevertheless, his work had a significant social and cultural impact on the world.
In Bill Condon’s 2004 biopicKinsey, the titular role was played by Liam Neeson, while Laura Linney played his wife Clara McMillen, which fetched her an Oscar nomination. Calling it a ‘fascinating bio’, Roger Ebert compared Neeson’s performance to Russell Crowe’s in the 2001 biopicA Beautiful Mind.
6Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
The 1988 biopicGorillas in the Mistby Michael Apted is based on the life of Dian Fossey, an American primatologist, and conservationist who dedicated her life to studying and protecting mountain gorillas in Rwanda. The film follows Fossey, played by Sigourney Weaver, as she moves to Africa to study the gorillas and becomes deeply immersed in their lives and struggles. She faces opposition from poachers and the local government, but with the help of her African colleagues, she fights to protect the gorillas and their habitat.
The film is a tribute to Fossey’s dedication and passion for her work, as well as hertragic death in 1985. The film was critically acclaimed and nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Weaver’s performance.
5The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
Based on a 1991 book by Robert Kanigel, the 2015 biopicThe Man Who Knew Infinitytells the extraordinary story of the prodigious Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan who passed away at the age of 32. The film was particularly noted forDev Patel’s portrayal of Ramanujan, ably supported by Jeremy Irons as the British mathematician G.H. Hardy.
The film follows Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematician living in poverty in Madras (India), as he begins to correspond with G.H. Hardy, a prominent mathematician at Trinity College, Cambridge. Hardy recognizes Ramanujan’s genius and invites him to come to England to study and collaborate with him. The film depicted the many challenges Ramanujan faced in adjusting to life in England, including racism, cultural differences, and skepticism from the academic community. Despite these challenges, Ramanujan and Hardy developed a close friendship and worked together to make groundbreaking discoveries in number theory.
4Agora (2009)
Alejandro Amenábar’s 2009 English-language Spanish historical drama filmAgoracenters on the life of Hypatia, a mathematician, philosopher, and astronomer in late 4th-century Roman Egypt. Rachel Weisz delivers acaptivating performance as Hypatia, who investigates the flaws of the geocentric Ptolemaic system and the heliocentric model that challenges it, while also fighting to preserve classical knowledge amidst religious turmoil and social unrest. Max Minghella co-stars as Davus, Hypatia’s father’s slave, and Oscar Isaac plays Hypatia’s student (and later prefect of Alexandria) Orestes.
The film employs historical fiction to examine the intersection of religion and science during a time of upheaval, marked by the decline of Greco-Roman polytheism and the rise of Christianity. Similar to Roman forums, ancient Greek public gathering places were called Agora, thus the title symbolized the importance of open dialogue and debate in shaping our understanding of the world.
3Glory Enough for All (1988)
Glory Enough for Allis a 1988 Canadian television film depicting the discovery and isolation of insulin, a life-saving hormone, by Dr. Frederick Banting and Charles Best. Considered one of the greatest medical miracles, the discovery helped them win the 1921 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
The film depicts Banting’s tumultuous journey of serving in the army, establishing his private practice, and finally his momentous research in the laboratory at the University of Toronto. It won nine Gemini Awards (the Canadian equivalent of Emmys).
2Ammonite (2020)
Ammoniteis a 2020 romantic drama film set in the 19th century that follows the story of Mary Anning, a renowned paleontologist who lived and worked in Lyme Regis, England. Anning’s discoveries had a significant impact on the scientific community’s understanding of prehistoric life and the Earth’s history. The film focuses on some of Anning’s fossil discoveries and her relationship with a young woman named Charlotte Murchison, who comes to stay with Mary and her mother. Ammonites are a group of extinct marine mollusk creatures that were researched by Anning to come up with important geological data.
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The film stars Kate Winslet as Anning and Saoirse Ronan as Murchison, and was directed by Francis Lee. It received positive reviews for its performances and visuals, particularly for its portrayal of the natural world and the coastal landscapes of Lyme Regis.
