Pike takes brilliant turn as Curie in ‘Radioactive’
While Marie Sklodowska Curie is one of the most famous women scientists of all time, and generally the only one anyone can name when asked according to surveys, the details of her life outside science aren’t well known. With the release of “Radioactive,” a fresh, captivating biopic of Curie’s life, that may finally change for the better, nearly 90 years after her death.
The movie, available for streaming on Amazon Prime, is directed by Marjane Satrapi and stars Rosamund Pike as Marie Curie. It’s based on an acclaimed graphic novel, “Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout,” by Lauren Redniss. It is a compelling homage to the complex, brilliant scientist whose was marked by both success and tragedy.
Curie’s life is a chemistry-filled scientific love story
The story begins when Curie (at that time, Sklodowska) arrives from her native Poland to study at the Sorbonne in the late 19th century. The details of her early life in Paris mirror challenges scientists face today, even though more than 100 years have passed: Curie encountered lack of funds and research space, and struggled to gain recognition for her work because she is a woman.
While Curie is famous for her work on the fundamentals of radioactivity and the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, the film shows the intricacies of her love story with Pierre Curie (Sam Riley), which began when he lent her lab space at the Sorbonne after she was struggling to find her own.
The movie stays mostly true to the details of Curie’s scientific research career and personal life. Pike gives a stirring, strong performance as Curie, a serious yet brilliant woman who does great scientific work with her husband, her love and eventually trusted collaborator. Much like “The Theory of Everything,” another biopic of a brilliant scientist, the love story is satisfying and tragic, if a bit cheesy at times, because it humanizes the scientist behind the genius.
‘Radioactive’ creatively deals with the unknown implications of discovery
Curie’s lifetime of work on radioactivity was vital to so many inventions, like the X-ray, cancer treatments and nuclear power. But with the good also comes the bad: nuclear weapons and mass destruction were made possible by her research.
Pike skillfully depicts Curie as a scientist weighed down with the pressure of considering the potential nefarious uses of her discoveries, even though she did not live long enough to witness them. Pierre reminds her, though, that she is not responsible for every “ripple in the pond.”
The most ingenious parts of the film use flash-forwards to show events such as the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima in 1945 and the disaster at Chernobyl in 1986. This exposes the audience to what Curie never lived to see: the unforeseen impacts of her scientific discoveries that came after she or anyone realized radiation was both life-saving and deadly.
This plot device assures the film does not fall into a formulaic trap, although these vignettes, along with the rest of the story that encompasses the bulk of her storied life, can sometimes make it feel as if Satrapi was trying to include too many biographical details.
Overall, “Radioactive” is a fitting tribute that is not entirely glowing (outside of the bottle of radium Curie takes to bed every night), but rather an honest and touching depiction of one of the finest scientists to ever live.