Radioactive

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a stylistic biopic that not only dives deeply into the personal history of one of the greatest scientific minds, but the ramifications her work has affected throughout history. I would give Radioactive an 8/10.

Radioactive is a biographical feature about the life of Marie Curie, her discovery of two new elements and her relationship with her husband. I think straight away this film sets the stage very well, casting Curie as an intellectual figure worthy of respect who faces adversity due to her gender and immigrant status. The manner throughout this film in which she explores her scientific discovery through her own merits is worth praising, it also allows us to see how she navigates past barriers in her professional field through determination and her own sharp mind. I liked seeing radium being explored initially as a novelty by society, in spite of Curie's speculations about the safety of this. This film does a really beautiful job of showing the tragic yet brilliant life of Marie Curie against the scope of what her achievements lead to. There are entire scenes that visualise and explore the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings, the first x-rays and cancer treatments, America's nuclear armament testing on home soil and the destruction of Chernobyl. Contrasting these moments of history with key incidents of Curie's personal life is a stroke of genius that highlights her own fears and demons, but also her hopes for her work. This movie doesn't glorify radiation, far from it; but it does deify the mind and contributions made by Marie Curie beautifully. The cinematography for this film captures scenes brilliantly; the way lighting and focus is combined to create such a distinct colour palette for this film is breathtaking and achieves a visual language many films strive to achieve. The score for Radioactive begins with the light, erratic charm of a period biopic but this becomes more discordant as we delve into the scientific discovery and its ramifications. I felt the music within this film to be anxious and frantic, yet also wondrous and inviting; which perfectly captured the tone for the feature.

Sam Riley, who played Pierre Curie, is brimming with charisma throughout the feature; Riley is the greatest redeeming quality of the romantic storyline of Radioactive and his chemistry with Pike is unparalleled. Anya Taylor-Joy, who played Irene, has had an exceptionally strong year for period films; Taylor-Joy's Irene has the stubborn and stoic mannerisms of her onscreen mother and a relentless drive to assist others that is wonderful to watch. 

However, the best performance came from Rosamund Pike, who played Marie Curie. Rosamund Pike has proven herself in multiple roles to be one of the finest actresses that we have performing, this role is another glimpse into exactly what she can bring to a part. Marie Curie is presented as this stoic, tough-as-nails scientist who has to insist that her voice be heard almost consistently in the early days of her research. I think Pike found a real knack at playing the abrasive nature of Marie Curie while also opening a window into who she was and making a strong connection with audiences. I was thrilled by how passionate she was, the joy of discovery and science was at the heart of the more upbeat scenes in Radioactive. The manner in which Pike presents the long-experienced grief of Marie Curie after the passing of her husband is intense and entirely unforgettable. This was a role who commanded your attention and respect, whom I wholeheartedly emphasised with and never ceased to be fascinated by.

This film didn't do a good job of framing what it wanted to be at the start of the film. Initially we are placed in a biographical feature but it shifts focus between adversity, fact and romance in a very disjointed manner. At first the film felt like it had sacrificed the integrity of its storytelling by committing to an overly dramatised romantic storyline between Marie and Pierre Curie. This romantic storyline never managed to feel as grounded as the rest of the feature and often came across as quite exaggerated in its portrayal. The editing for the feature was entirely terrible and even enhanced some select scenes, yet the inconsistent style and tendency towards a slow pace did drag out the film.

Sian Brooke, who played Bronia Sklodowska, doesn't have much onscreen chemistry with Pike considering their sister relationship; Brooke is just too monotonous in her portrayal and is always ready to step back so that Pike may step forward. Aneurin Barnard, who played Paul Langevin, is quite a vapid role that seems a dull echo of Riley's initially; Barnard and Pike's character entering an affair later in the feature really throws you for a loop because they simply lack chemistry and continue to do so until Barnard's last scene.