Reviews & Ratings for
The Man Who Knew Infinity More at IMDbPro »

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

23 out of 25 people found the following review useful:

Infinity is a sympathetic but rousing film on one of the greatest minds of all time – Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Author: Lloyd Bayer from United Arab Emirates
14 December 2015

Before Albert Einstein there was Srinivasa Ramanujan - A little known fact outside India and the academic community, and precisely why this story had to be told. The Man Who Knew Infinity serves as a biopic behind the life and times of Ramanujan, a self-taught Indian Mathematician, who some say could decipher the very fabric of existence. It's a poignant film in as much as an emotional roller coaster but an extraordinary story told almost a century after Ramanujan's early and tragic death in 1920.

That's because Ramanujan was not only a mathematical prodigy by the age of 11, or that he could mentally compute complex permutations in a fraction of a second, but the fact that at the height of his powers, not many could fathom his genius. Not even the Cambridge scholars who elected him as a Fellow of the Royal Society and also a Fellow of Trinity College – monumental achievements for an Indian with no formal training in mathematics. Based on this true story and adapted from a 1991 book of the same name, writer/director Matthew Brown begins the film in 1914 Madras (back when Madras was rightly called Madras). Ramanujan (Dev Patel) comes from a poor Brahmin upbringing where even note paper is a luxury. He is seen frantically scribbling theorems on slate before sending samples of his work to intellectuals in Cambridge. Within an instant of receiving the latter's theories, Cambridge academic G. H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) is not only astounded, but invites Ramanujan to study in England – both as his protégé and the missing link since Isaac Newton.

Forced to leave behind his young wife (Devika Bhise) with his mother, this would be the start of many of his problems but not before going on to make profound discoveries in his field of study. Close on the heels of The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game, 2014's Academy Award frontrunners, Brown's screenplay fits the bill as a rousing film with a lot of heart but not much insight. Instead, it's more of a sympathetic look at Ramanujan's poor background and the hardships he would encounter in England, including what looks like an over exaggerated and clichéd case of racial prejudice and a depressing long distance love story with his wife. What this means is Infinity is still a well-made film worthy of a thunderous applause, but does little to focus on Ramanujan's innate brilliance. However, from a storytelling perspective that's not really the director's fault. Consider the fact that almost a century after his death, intellectuals using modern day computers are still baffled by Ramanujan's integrals and integers. And only as recent as 2012 have scientists confirmed Ramanujan's incredible intuition that suggests the existence of black holes in deep space – a concept that was virtually unknown during his time.

"Intuition" is Ramanujan's answer to how he arrives at his conclusions, and the best moments in the film where Hardy forces Ramanujan to provide "proofs", or sequential steps to his formulae. Without proofs his theories are considered inconceivable and Ramanujan is often dismissed as a charlatan. To its merit, Infinity builds on the relationship between Hardy and Ramanujan, both extreme opposites in their beliefs but recluses who find solace and then inspiration in each other. Irons is perfectly cast as an outspoken atheist opposite Patel who believes his theories come from God. Their symbiotic chemistry builds towards a tearjerker of an ending while adding warmth and closure. Given that Ramanujan was known to be short and stout, Patel might seem like a strange casting choice yet captures his character with integrity and passion and in some ways, a beefier underdog akin to his breakout role in Slumdog Millionaire.

That The Man Who Knew Infinity is aimed as a crowd pleaser is obvious and it works well within this scope. And given the subject matter, this film should also do well in foreign markets, especially multiplexes in the Subcontinent and surrounding regions. What's more important, and hopefully so, is that the film brings out Ramanujan's true legacy shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Newton and Einstein. Time, as infinite as itself, will tell.

21 out of 26 people found the following review useful:

You should not miss this for heavens sake

Author: Saish Borkar from Goa, India
21 November 2015

I saw this movie at the International Film Festival Of India (IFFI), Goa. Most anticipated film which I felt got over in no time. So beautifully directed, enthralling from the very first cut. This is so far the finest performance by Dev Patel. Without Jeremy Irons this film would have been toothless, seeing him for the first time I have never seen a character executed with such panache. Overall a film cannot get better than this, there are some flaws which every film has but are forgivable and probably intended to show the audience that way. Not a film to watch for the entertainment value only but solely for the essence of film watching. A standing ovation to Matthew Brown.

14 out of 16 people found the following review useful:

A master piece

Author: Marc Onetto from Seattle, WA
3 March 2016

This is a wonderful movie which I hope will have a great success when it is released in the USA. I saw it at the Sun Valley Film Festival in March 2016 and it was by far the best movie I have ever seen in this festival. The story of this young Indian with a special gift for mathematics and who becomes a researcher at Cambridge Trinity college is by itself fascinating. The acting is superb with Jeremy Irons as a professor and mentor in one of his best performance ever. The film makes you feel the spirit of the place and the time (first world war England). Dev Patel is no longer the fun host of the Marigold Hotel but a great courageous young mathematician who beats old odds to become one of the major scientist of the 20th century. Please tell your friend to go and see this movie. They will thank you.

8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:

Must See!

Author: thebenj-99456 from United States
3 March 2016

Just saw "The Man Who Knew Infinity" at The Sun Valley Film Festival. So happy to see quality films make their US premiere in Sun Valley. Kudos to the non profit group. Must see movie with outstanding story, production and casting led by J. Irons. Independent films like these deserve to be seen & noticed. Opens NY/LA late April. Superb direction from Matt Brown with incredible sets and locations, especially location at Trinity College. Thought about the diversity issue facing the Academy and after seeing this movie, realized it was an issue for a brilliant mind like the lead against the English back in the day. The effort it took to make this film on a tight budget with incredible locations is a credit to the entire crew!

6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:

Outstanding script and acting

Author: alpeshpatel-77898 from London
5 April 2016

An important film; cleverly mixing a love story with the equally deep themes of moral obligations on privilege to raise those without. At first I was concerned I would not be able to disassociate Dev Patel from the role on Marigold Hotel, but after a few lines which sounded too contemporary, he improved significantly.

Jeremy Irons was captivating and the other roles adequately developed. The direction, pace, setting, wardrobe, story, score -all hold the attention.

When I watched it, at the end, the audience applauded. In fact at the end of it, one wishes it could last longer - craving more.

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:

excellent historical drama

Author: sfdphd from United States
24 April 2016

Just saw this film at the SF Film Festival. I thought it was excellent. Why? It combines various levels of entertainment: there's the intellectual level of the mathematics involved, and the realities of academic competition; there's the historical and cultural level showing the conflicts between Indian and English traditions, attitudes, biases, and beliefs; the emotional level of love/friendship between men, love between men and women, between children and parents; and the level of inhumanity for other humans, warmongers vs. pacifists, religious vs. non-religious, individuals vs. groups, misunderstandings and lack of emotional intelligence in so many ways.

I comprehended very little of the mathematics involved but that did not matter and did not change my overall appreciation for the story and all the levels involved.

Kudos to all who created this film. The writing, the acting, the cinematography, the direction, all excellent...

5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:

Finite and Formulaic

Author: pauledhill from United Kingdom
12 April 2016

It's amazing how much like mathematics this film is. It is strikingly formulaic and everything in it obeys strict laws and forms tight patterns. Ramanujan may have reached for the sky without due process but this film certainly doesn't. Still, his story is a great one and elements of a very human struggle remain. It's the usual stuff in terms of plot, characterization and emotional manipulation but one would be a hard nut indeed if one wasn't touched by it at all. Of the two main parts, though, it is Jeremy Irons' Professor Hardy (who fought against the paradoxically quite brainless prejudices of The University of Cambridge) who comes across most strongly. One warms, too, to Toby Jones' Littlewood

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

Outstanding

Author: kyliem11 from United Kingdom
9 April 2016

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This outstanding movie is about a little known Indian mathematical genius, Srinivasa Ramanujan who leaves his hometown in Madras to work in Cambridge University. Such a different world for the young Ramanujan who gets excited by a pile of blank papers on his desk, a commodity hard to come by in Madras. Shunned by many of his peers, he sets out to prove his 'theories' with the help of G.H.Hardy.

Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons are fantastic in the two lead roles, and Toby Jones does a great job as Littlewood.

There are some great shots by Matt Brown, when Ramanujan's wife Janaki walks into the temple through an 'array of sunbeams' stands out in my mind, but the main thing is, the story has now been told and is well worth watching.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:

Interesting but Slow

Author: fordmodelt Ford from Australia
28 April 2016

The problem with this movie is that not a lot happens. And it's very slow. The maths is too abstract for the average viewer to appreciate the ground breaking nature of S. Ramanujan's work. The best thing about the movie is that it brings to the modern audience an awareness of the genius of Ramanujan - who was apparently every bit Einstein's equal or better, but remains basically unknown outside of maths academia.

The movie struggles because it can't build to any kind of dramatic "Eureka" moment, when there's a sudden breakthrough that leads to some sort of climax that the general audience knows about. The Imitation Game (2014) at least had a sense of time running out with Alan Turing (and others) trying to find a code to crack the Enigma Machine in WWII. This movie hasn't got that sort of pressure and it doesn't build to any sort of major breakthrough. It's just an interesting story about a maths genius of the 20th Century who most people have never heard of.

The director has obviously tried to build up the love story to give the audience something to connect with, but unfortunately it is largely fictional. In real life, 21 year old Ramanujan married his young bride who was 9 or 10 at the time. 5 years later he left her in India with family as he set off for England and Cambridge. The interfering mother- in-law and the star crossed lovers scenario in the movie seems to be pretty fictionalised in an attempt to provide something a little less dry than maths equations.

Nevertheless, the movie is beautifully acted. It's just pretty slow.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:

A richly deserved First

Author: Paul Guest from United Kingdom
30 April 2016

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is one of the best films I've ever seen: quite informative (for a non-mathematician like me), emotionally powerful yet subtle, and challenging in relation to its period.

True, it takes some licence with the facts. In 1914, when it is set (and the war plays a part), Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar was 26 and G. H. Hardy 37 – whereas the actors Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons are now 26 and 67 respectively. Also, Ramanujan's wife Janika was 15 but the actress Devika Bhise is clearly over 20 (Janika died aged 95 in 1994). So the film should be taken on its own terms.

In those terms, Hardy, a lifelong bachelor, looks like a father figure for Ramanujan (R). There's no hint of a gay sub-text and Hardy remarks, true to the facts, that he isn't good at intimate relationships.

There is, however, a significant political and cultural theme. Though violence occurs only once, R is treated at Cambridge with casual racism, especially by a tutor called Mr Howard (Anthony Calf) who calls him a charlatan and pronounces his name 'Ramajan'. I can't find any evidence of Howard's existence, and perhaps he was manufactured as the 'villain of the piece' in order to accentuate the issue.

If that is a fault, Matt Brown's film still raises some crucial questions: the word racism springs to mind at once now – but what of the historical perspective, 33 years before Indian independence and in a closed English community? For all their brilliance, could those academics have had any conception of racism as we understand it? Even D. H. Lawrence could write in a letter of 1922: 'Those natives are back* of us - in the living sense lower* than we are. ... you don't catch me going back on my whiteness and Englishness and myself.' (He underlined 'back' and 'lower'.) Watching this film, I felt an uncomfortable challenge to resist judging by today's standards.

At least as important is the theme of belief. Hardy, who is credited with promoting rigour in maths, insists that R give him proof of his formulae instead of relying on intuition. He is an avowed atheist because there is no proof that God exists. R tells him that his formulae are (in effect) divinely inspired, as though he were a mathematical mystic. Earlier, he has told Janika that for him maths is like painting. Hardy comes to appear increasingly moved by R's faith, and this is extremely poignant.

The question of producing proofs represents profound cultural differences. Though accepted at last by the maths establishment, R never really seems westernised; in some dream sequences, maybe a bit fanciful, he imagines himself back in India with Janika.

Life at Cambridge took a heavy toll on that extraordinary young man from southern India. Even so, he made lasting contributions to mathematics, including a formula that may now explain the behaviour of black holes. His birth anniversary, 22 December, is National Mathematics Day in India.

Judging by the film, R got some very patronising treatment. The film has also had some, from a number of reviewers. In my view, though, it richly deserves a First.

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Add another review

Related Links