Based around the honest, touching and frequently heart-rending book by Jane Hawking (here played very well by Felicity Jones), this is essentially a story of love and dedication - with one hell of a lot of frustration thrown in too. Eddie Redmayne is superb as the now acclaimed, flawed and often rather unpleasant scientist whose brain was years ahead of it's time; and the drama marries his dedication to his work with his devotion to himself, his family and, of course, to everyone's handling of the increasingly debilitating disease that ultimately denied him just about every aspect of his physical being. It's not a science lesson - never fear, our neurones are left pretty much unchallenged. It is a love story. Not a romance, either - but a depiction of a relationship that thrived, struggled, rose and - ultimately - fell. The intimacies of the photography almost immerse us in their lives as both take a rather stoic, but not always enjoyable, approach to the difficulties faced by all concerned. It is well scripted, the dialogue is sensitive and plausible - and Jóhann Jóhannsson's score augments the visuals aptly too. As biopics go, it comes across as far less speculative; it has an integrity to it that coupled with with two actors at the top of the bill who clearly enjoyed working with each other, gives us a superior drama about two people who were genuinely interested in each other, and who are genuinely of interest to the audience. The supporting efforts from the likes of David Thewlis and Harry Lloyd and from the myriad of actors who portray the couple as they grow up from childhood add well to the overall richness of this - and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
