I had just written highly about Norwegian Director #MortenTyldum (https://www.ashoksfive.com/post/defending-jacob-is-a-classy-thriller-that-deals-with-a-tough-dilemma-for-the-parents) when i discovered his first English film on #NetflixIndia. This is a story about World War II and a story about the genius of a mathematician but more than that, it is a celebration of a life of a true hero. It also leaves you with a tinge of pathos. Next time you use your computer to make your life easy with anything, you know you have this gent to thank!
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews #TheImitationGame starring #BenedictCumberbatch as the mathematician Alan Turning. Also featured in the film are #KieraKnightley and #MathewGoode. The plot is quite simple. It deals with how Turing and his colleagues work over-time to crack the Enigma machine that the Germans use to send out their encrypted messages during World War II. The machine can potentially have 159 million million million combinations and the team has 24 hours in which to crack the cipher before it gets changed again. Turing and his team manage to crack the code and this leads to the war being shortened, effectively saving over 15 million lives. The film celebrates Turing and his life but also deals with the tragedy post war when the Government takes him to task for his homosexual preferences which is against the law. In the process, he is chemically castrated and the side-effects of the treatment leave him a physical and mental wreck. Turning went on to commit suicide and it was only in 2013 that he received a pardon from Queen Elizabeth. The Government kept the facts of the case tp secret for over 50 years and Turing was never decorated with the medals that were surely his.
#TheImitationGame spans three distinct periods - The first phase deals with Turing’s childhood and the loss of his dear friend Christopher. He later on names his machine by that name. The second phase is during the war and starts with the interview by Commander Denniston (#CharlesDance) at Bletchley Park. The last phase is the post war period when he lives a lonely life and loses his ability to even solve a crossword puzzle.
Turing and his oddities form a delightful set of opening scenes for the film. Cumberbatch is absolutely brilliant as he gets the mannerisms, accent and socially awkward manner spot on. Turing manages to get the President’s office to approve his methods and puts out a crossword puzzle for shortlisting and interviewing candidates to work with him. Enter Joan Clarke (#Knightley) who goes on to play his romantic interest. The final scene when she visits him is an emotional tearjerker. I found the manner in which her character is envisioned very refreshing and in spite of a small role, the significance of Clarke’s character is not lost on you. This is totally at contrast to how Indian movies tend to make the woman a wallflower in male-centric dramas.
#The ImitationGame is paced well and stands out for the detailing of each character. The interaction between Turing and his team-members is particularly engaging as they resent him at first but eventually accept his intellectual brilliance. At one point of time, they unite together against Denniston to ensure that Turing does not get thrown out. Screenwriter #GrahamMoore does justice to this “melancholic thriller”. The moment of serendipity when the team discover the clue that helps them crack the Enigma machine is surely the high point of the film.
I would rate this as one of #BenedictCumberbatch’s finest performances. In spite of his socially awkward ways, he manages to convince Joan to join the team and work on the project. He tells her “Sometimes it is the people whom no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine”. He also copes with the violence that his schoolmates unleash on him. His credo is “Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying but remove the satisfaction and act becomes...hollow”
#TheImitationGame won the People’s Choice award at the Toronto Film Festival. In my opinion this is a must watch film. Watch it to see how it celebrates life. Watch it also for how a simple plot can be elevated to high drama and complemented with some very relatable characters.
