Radioactive

Description

Working from Lauren Redniss’s account of Marie and Pierre Curie’s lives, Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) embraces the spirit of experimentation, employing occasional animation and fanciful flourishes along with a unique, time-telescoping approach. This biographical portrait of Marie pays homage to her groundbreaking work, including her discovery of both radium and polonium, while also recognizing the personal elements of her story, creating a rich, complicated study of a remarkable scientist that also grapples with both the healing and destructive powers of radiation.

“As startling as it is to see the beloved scientist hated in her time, that we’re able to see this headstrong legend as a sexual being at all is a credit to how much [Rosamund] Pike gradually humanizes her as a woman, while never pleading for our pity. (Something the real Curie would have loathed.) The globe has applauded Curie’s creation long after her death, polishing the marble image Radioactive works hard to scuff. Instead, says Satrapi, admire her passions — even when they were also the core of her doom.” –Amy Nicholson, Variety

Film Details