Film No. 28 (2016) The Man Who Knew Infinity April 23rd.

Film No. 28 (2016) February 23rd.  10.45 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"There are no proofs that determine the outcome of matters of the heart. We are merely explorers of infinity in the pursuit of absolute perfection." G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) tries to convince his peers of the significance of the contribution Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) has made to mathematics).

Like a nice meal, it comes together through a recipe; a tried and tested mixture of ingredients baked with perfect timing. The Man Who Knew Infinity reminds me of such a meal. The key ingredients being a legendary person (Ramanujan) blessed with an extraordinary talent, then spiced with myth and facts and finally balanced with an evocative soundtrack. Yes, it's all been done before but not always well. For Infinity the recipe works.


If you are a math nerd and hope to get an insight into the hows and whys of Ramanujan's genius then this film will disappoint. By film's end we are no closer to understanding what his scribblings mean but if you are a lover of well told stories involving relationships and academic bonds which had an influence on future mathematics then the 115 minutes you spend with Irons, Patel and (to a lesser extent) the prolific Toby Jones should not disappoint.


The Man Who Knew Infinity gains our heart early due to the chemistry of the performances of the three key actors. The fact a genius living in poverty with enough drive to want to gain recognition hooks us and we know early on that Hardy is already reflective of the life changing relationship he is about to reveal on screen. From the beginning we know we are about to be taken on something of an epic journey.


There is narrative fudging which you may need to overlook, such as did the perceived meanness of the Fellows of Cambridge during Ramanujan's 5 year tenure actually happen? And was the portrayed cold heartedness of Ramanujan's mother towards his wife real?  
Due to the heartfelt foundation of T M W K I these side-lines don't in any way damage the story but rather represent the spice which complements a soundtrack that may have you welling up just prior to the titles rolling. 9GUMS.