this historical drama from director mortentyldum became the high-grossing independent film of the year when it scored more thaneleven-times its $14-million dollar budget. released in the uk on november 14, 2014, thepg-13 rated film follows the true story of mathematician and cryptanalyst alan turingwho tries to crack the german "enigma code" during world war ii. the 114-minute narrativebounces between parallel timelines, one with turing as a school boy, and the other whichsees him attempting to solve the most daunting of math problems. the impeccable art directionand style, which meticulously recreates these dual periods scored "the imitation game" oneof its eight oscar nominations. impressively, even turing's room-sized "computer" is onfull display. hard to believe they make wrist-watches
now with more computing power. benedict cumberbatchportrays the awkward smart-ass who is widely considered to be the father of artificialintelligence and computer science. the story of this man's short and complicated life isextremely fascinating, especially to americans like myself who mayn't be all that familiarwith his accomplishments - many of which remained classified secrets for decades. turning mayonly be interested in the challenge of decrypting codes, but it's the unlikely obstacles andfriends he meets along the way that give this picture so much depth and interest. cumberbatch'soscar-nomination is equaled by his female counterpart, keira knightley. when benedictis feeling defeated, she echoes his earlier advice back to him by reminding, "sometimesit is the people who no one imagines anything
of who do the things that no one can imagine."this theme is repeated throughout the picture with great results, driving home the importanceof individuality and self-worth. with many oscar-recognized roles, there comesa point in the performance that you can single-out as the zenith of the actor's ability - anda defensive monologue delivered late by knightley is such a scene. the beautiful brit transcendsthe dialogue in a powerful way. the adapted screenplay also offers us brief glimpses ofthe actual war itself, to ensure we don't forget what's really at stake here. developingjust below the surface throughout, the issue of turing's homosexuality takes center stagelate in the picture, as the movie pivots from a dramatic bio-pic to a painful reminder ofengland's homophobic past. while undeniably
important, especially given today's changinglandscape regarding lgbt culture - this shift in story feels a bit jarring. up until the90-minute mark, the primary focus was on code-breaking and defeating the nazis. slow pushes and steadyclose-ups fill the wide-angle frame, while alexandre desplat's piano-laden score providesan airy backdrop to the more tense moments. although this slower paced story may not bethe type of picture you ever rewatch, "the imitation game" is a thoughtful and personalaccount of an inspirational hero. and here's what you had to say about it in the youtubecomments. despite complaints about the slower, formulaicnarrative, you loved the performances and tragic story, rating this an eight. i wasdefinitely moved by the scope and importance
of this picture, which made me completelyrespect and admire a man i knew little of before watching. i thought it was awesome.
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