Table of Contents
- O Jogo da Imitação
- The theory of everything
- Stars Beyond Time
- A brilliant mind
- Alexandria
- In the Gorilla Mountains
- Giordano Bruno
- Temple Grandin
- The Man Who Saw Infinity
- The Aeronauts
- Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
- Oppenheimer
- The Story of Louis Pasteur
- Ammonite
- Einstein and Eddington
- Radioactive
- Creation
- The Battle of the Currents
The modern world as we know it was shaped by great personalities in science. Thinking about their great contributions to technology, we curated the best films about scientists. Check out the full list:
O Jogo da Imitação
Original title: The Imitation Game
Where to watch: Netflix
90% on Rotten Tomatoes | 8 on IMDb
Released in 2014 and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Morten Tyldum, the film is based on the true story of the British computer scientist, mathematician, cryptanalyst, theoretical biologist and philosopher Alan Turing, responsible for unraveling Nazi cryptography during World War II.
The film stars British actor Benedict Cumberbatch and was nominated for 8 Oscar categories, having only taken home 1 statuette for Best Adapted Screenplay, which in addition to telling Alan's heroic journey, also shows how he ended up being exposed as a homosexual by the authorities in 1952, a revelation that had a major negative impact on his life.
The theory of everything
Original title: The Theory of Everything
Where to watch: Star +
80% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,7 on IMDb
Released in Brazil in 2015 and directed by the English filmmaker James Marshall, the film is based on the true story of British theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, one of the most influential scientists of the century, known mainly for his discoveries regarding time.
The film stars British actor Eddie Redmayne, which won an Oscar statuette for Best Actor for his brilliant role playing the scientist. The script focuses not only on his contributions to science, but also on the discovery and progress of his incurable degenerative disease and his relationships, particularly with his first wife, Jane hawking.
Stars Beyond Time
Original title: Hidden Figures
Where to watch: Disney +
93% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,8 on IMDb
Released in Brazil in 2017 and directed by the American filmmaker Theodore Melphi, the film is based on the story of Dorothy Vaughn (mathematics), Katherine Johnson (space scientist, physics and mathematics) and mary jackson (aerospace engineer and mathematician), known for carrying out the calculations responsible for taking man to the moon.
Starring American actresses Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer e Janelle Monáe, the film tells how the three black scientists played an essential role in the historical moment, all during the period of the Cold War and great racial segregation in the United States.
A brilliant mind
Original title: A Beautiful Mind
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
74% on Rotten Tomatoes | 8,2 on IMDb
Released in Brazil in 2002 and directed by the American filmmaker Ron Howard, the film is based on the story of the American mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., winner of Nobel of economic sciences in 1994 for his work collected in Game Theory.
starring Russell Crowe, the film was nominated for 8 Oscar awards and took home 4 statuettes, including Best Film, Best Direction e Better Adapted Roadmap, which tells how John was recognized as a mathematical genius at just 21 years old, his struggle with schizophrenia, personal relationships and his career up until the moment he won the Nobel Prize.
Alexandria
Original title: Ágora
Where to watch: Not available
56% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,1 on IMDb
Released in 2009 and directed by the Chilean filmmaker based in Spain Alejandro Amenábar, the film is based on the story of the astronomer, mathematician and philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria, known as the first documented female mathematician in history.
Starring British actress Rachel Weisz, the film tells how Hypatia was an influential voice in Alexandria, despite having faced great difficulties due to her gender. She worked as a teacher, philosopher and fought for the preservation of the Library of Alexandria — one of the most famous in antiquity — when Christianity gained political power in the city.
In the Gorilla Mountains
Original title: Gorillas in the Mist
Where to watch: Not available
84% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7 on IMDb
Released in 1988 and directed by English director Michael Apped, the film is based on the story of the American zoologist Dian Fossey, known for its conservation and research work on the gorillas of the Virunga Mountains.
Starring the actress Sigourney Weaver, who won a Golden Globe de Best Film Actress in Drama for his performance. The film tells how Fossey managed to bond with the gorillas, who began to see her as part of the family, and her fight to protect them.
Giordano Bruno
Where to watch: Not available
77% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,2 on IMDb
Released in 1973 and directed by Italian filmmaker Julian Montaldo, the film is based on the story of the philosopher, theologian, mathematician, poet, cosmology theorist, hermetic occultist and Italian Dominican friar Giordano Bruno, known for his theory that the universe was infinite and his theory of cosmic pluralism.
Starring Italian actor Gian Maria Volonté, tells how Bruno ended up being prosecuted for his theories by the Roman Inquisition and sentenced to death at the stake for heresy.
Temple Grandin
Where to watch: Max
100% on Rotten Tomatoes | 8,2 on IMDb
Released in 2010 and directed by English director Mick Jackson, the film is based on the story of the American psychologist and zootechnician Temple Grandin, known for overcoming the barriers of autism and revolutionizing the practice of live animals in American agriculture.
Starring American actress Claire Danes, the film shows Grandin's first experience with animals, how his mother fought for his education, his success in his academic career, and a machine of his own creation to deal with his panic attacks.
The Man Who Saw Infinity
Original title: The Man Who Knew Infinity
Where to watch: Available for rent at Amazon Prime Video
63% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,2 on IMDb
Released in Brazil in 2016 and directed by the American filmmaker Matthew Brown, the film is based on the story of the Indian mathematician Shrinivasa Ramanujan, known for his contributions to the world of mathematics, mainly for solving problems previously considered insoluble.
starring Dev patel, the film tells how Ramanujan was a self-taught mathematician with no formal training who, with his mentor, Professor GH Hardy, fought to have his work recognized.
The Aeronauts
Original title: The Aeronauts
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
71% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,6 on IMDb
Released in 2019 and directed by British filmmaker Tom harper, the film tells the story of the meteorologist, astronomer and aeronaut James Glaisher, known for his important discoveries for understanding climate.
Starring British actor Eddie Redmayne, the film was severely criticized for omitting the help of the aeronaut and writer Henry Coxwell, who accompanied him on his balloon trips where the research was conducted. Even so, it delivers crucial moments in the pioneering spirit of meteorology.
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
64% on Rotten Tomatoes | 8,7 on IMDb
Released in 2022 and directed by Indian actor and director R. Madhavan, the film is based on the story of Indian aerospace scientist Nambi Narayanan, known to have been a high-ranking official of the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) in command of the cryogenics division, wrongly arrested for espionage.
Also starring R. Madhavan, the Bollywood film tells Nambi's experience as a student at the renowned Princeton University, his work as a scientist, his experience in NASA (United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration), as well as the repression and physical violence that he and his family suffered when he was accused of espionage.
After being cleared, Nambi returns to work for ISRO and ends up winning the Padma Bhushan Award — third highest civilian award in the Republic of India — from the president of the country: Ram Nath Kovin.
Oppenheimer
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
93% on Rotten Tomatoes | 8,3 on IMDb
Released in 2023 and directed by British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, the film is based on the story of theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer, known as the 'Father of the Atomic Bomb'.
Starring Irish actor Cillian Murphy, the film was nominated for 13 Oscar categories and took home 7 statuettes, including Best Film. O blockbuster count as Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project, which researched and developed the first versions of the bomb, during World War II.
The Story of Louis Pasteur
Original title: The Story of Louis Pasteur
Where to watch: Unavailable on streaming platforms
100% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,3 on IMDb
Released in 1936 and directed by German filmmaker William Dieterle, the film is based on the story of French scientist Louis Pasteur, known for creating the pasteurization method and the rabies vaccine.
Starring American actor Paul muni, the film was nominated for 4 Oscars and took home 3 statuettes for Best Actor, Best Original Story and Best Original Screenplay, which tells how Pasteur noticed the transmission of diseases by microorganisms and how his work pioneered hygiene methods still used today .
Ammonite
Where to watch: Netflix
69% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,5 on IMDb
Released in 2020 and directed by British filmmaker Francis Lee, the film is based on the story of paleontologist Mary Anning, known as the 'Mother of Paleontology' and a pioneer in fossil collecting.
Starring British actress Kate Winslet, the film tells how Mary found her first fossil at just 10 years old and made important discoveries about ammonites, marine animals ancestral to squid, as well as her friendship with the geologist Charlotte Murchison — in addition to a loving nature between the two that was never actually proven.
Einstein and Eddington
Original title: Einstein and Eddington
Where to watch: Max
74% on Rotten Tomatoes | 7,2 on IMDb
Released in 2008 and directed by British television director Philip Martin, the film is based on the story of German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein — known for the Theory of Relativity — and the British astrophysicist Arthur Eddington – known as the 'Father of Stellar Dynamics'.
Starring Scottish actor David Tennant and the British actor Andy Serkis, the film tells how Eddington proved through experiments the Theory of relativity of Einstein during the conflicts of the First World War.
Radioactive
62% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,3/10 on IMDb
Where to watch: Netflix
Launched in 2020 and directed by Iranian Marjane Satrapi, the film is based on the story of the Polish physicist and chemist who naturalized in France, Marie Curie, known for discovering chemical elements: polonium and radium.
Starring British actress Rosamund pike, tells how Marie discovered the elements, how she conducted her research, her relationship with Pierre Curie, her history with the Nobel Prize and how the French press explored her personal life.
Creation
Original title: Creation
Where to watch: Not available on streaming platforms
47% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,6 on IMDb
Released in 2009 and directed by British filmmaker Jon Amiel, the film is based on the story of British biologist, geologist and naturalist Charles Darwin, known for the Theory of Evolution, which states that species evolve due to natural selection.
starring Paul Bettany, the film tells how Darwin fought against his own faith in God, as well as that of everyone around him, in the creation of his scientific work The Origin of Species.
The Battle of the Currents
Original title: The current war
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
34% on Rotten Tomatoes | 6,5 on IMDb
Released in Brazil in 2019 and directed by the American director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, the film is based on the story of the inventor thomas edison — known for creating the incandescent lamp — and the engineer George Westinghouse — known for creating a compressed air brake and for his partnership with inventor Nikola Tesla.
See also other features
Sources: Terra
Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim
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