"The Theory of Everything" astounds with beautiful performances

Two days after Eddie Redmayne won the Oscar for Best Actor for the "The Theory of Everything" (2014, UK), the film made its premiere in the country. Honestly, I was really expecting Redmayne to be too showy and self-conscious in his role, the kind of portrayal that usually grabs the attention of the Academy. The "nature" of his character is the type that gave the likes of Jon Voight ("Coming Home"), Daniel Day-Lewis ("My Left Foot"), Geoffrey Rush ("Shine") and Tom Hanks ("Forrest Gump" and "Philadelphia") their own Best Actor Oscars. However, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found out. 

In his portrayal of the famed English physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, who becomes afflicted with a disease that severely paralyzed his motor, respiratory and speech functionalities (medically known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) as he struggles through defending his complex theories about time and the universe and keeping a normal family life, Redmayne simply disappears in his character, quietly and full of heart. It's a physically demanding role, which runs the risk of either caricaturing or sentimentalizing the actual person being portrayed. But Redmayne imbues Hawking with a quietly-affecting humanism, highlighting his emotional fragility as much as, if not more than, his scientific acuity. As it is physically demanding, so it is emotionally, more so as the actor is tasked with articulating his psycho-emotional dynamics beneath overpowering physical limitations, sometimes without even the need for words. And Redmayne fulfills the task with a truly quiet intensity. There are even times that his performance approximates French actor Mathieu Amalric's similarly physically-challenging role in Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". His Oscar win is a deserved one. It now leads me to think that it was Michael Keaton's Riggan Thomson in Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu's "Birdman" that was actually more flamboyant and attention-grabbing. Keaton as a washed-up movie actor trying to redeem himself through theater is brilliant and buoyant, no doubt about that. But when one thinks about it, his is the kind of comeback role that begs for attention. I'd still prefer the great performance that just shines forth naturally. 

I'll take this occasion to cite as well Felicity Jones, whose performance in the film the critics may have largely underappreciated in favor of her male co-star, but is nevertheless very much noteworthy. As Stephen Hawking's wife Jane (who studied medieval literature, French and Spanish languages and on whose autobiographical book the film was based), Jones comes across as someone who's unpredictable. While she may have exhibited affection and devotion to her husband in spite of his condition, she's also very much aware of her smoldering passion when the opportunity arises, something which she's unafraid to confront head-on. If Jane Hawking were another literary character, she may very well have been Madame Bovary. Jones likewise displays an admirable maturity and restraint that prevent her character from unabashedly wallowing in dramatic misery. Too bad that she was nominated at the time that Julianne Moore was rightfully due for an Oscar. 

It was also pleasantly surprising to find out that it isn't just the performances, but that the film itself is, well, beautiful. I wasn't really expecting much from "The Theory of Everything", except that it would simply be another torch-bearing biographical account. But because of James Marsh's graceful direction, aided greatly by the evocative cinematography of Tran Ahn Hung-collaborator Benoît Delhomme and the magisterial soundtrack provided by Jóhann Jóhannsson ("Prisoners"), such inherently heady subjects as the philosophy of time and universe and the morality of infidelity don't impress as being heavy-handed and axiomatic. The over-all tone is sweet and light, but something that has a classical feel to it, like a maestro conducting an orchestral piece. Just observe that parallel sequencing wherein Jane is about to commit an act of infidelity as Stephen is having a fit while watching an opera. Cinematic. 

How ironic it is that given some of its themes, "The Theory of Everything" is the kind of pick-me-up film that can enhance one's mood on a cold, rainy day.

• Film verdict: Very Good

Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde savoring a sweet and light phase of their relationship in James Marsh's "The Theory of Everything".