One Indian student studying a long ways from home changes the structure of mathematics, as “The Man Who Knew Infinity”. Based on the 1991 book of the same name by Robert Kanigel, the British biographical drama stars Dev Patel as the real-life Srinivasa Ramanujan, a mathematician who after growing up poor in Madras, India, earns admittance to Cambridge University during World War I, where he becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories with the guidance of his professor, G. H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons). Hardy takes the young scholar under his wing, and quickly realizes the potential in Srinvasa, as the boy wonder solves centuries old math riddles with ease, and changes the future of the we see the numbers in front of us. The film is written and directed by first time director Matt Brown, and is rated PG-13 for thematic elements and smoking.

While watching “The Man Who Knew Infinity”, I quickly realized that I was very much out of my league with the discussions and influences of mathematics. Fortunately, Matt Brown equally adapts two different aspects to Ramanujan’s life story that makes this film a little more inviting over the course of 103 minutes. The first is in the aforementioned capabilities from one of India’s finest minds in history. We come to understand that the kinds of things that Srinivasa are doing is quite extraordinary. That much is easy to grasp. The difficult thing for anyone who isn’t a Mathematician, will be to stick with this section of the film, despite it being near-literally a foreign language. Thankfully, the second aspect of this film deals more with the human side of things, and the developing friendship between Ramanujan and Hardy. In that direction, this film really excelled through some of the more glaring problems creatively. More on that later. You really see quite the transformation in both of these characters, and just how important they are to the other. In Hardy, he needs to see between the racial divides that really stain this prestigious university, and in Ramanujan, he needs to document the work that goes into the answers that he amazingly already knows. The screenplay does feel a little conventional, mostly in the way it doesn’t differ itself from other, stronger biopics. But the strength lies in the adversity that this young Indian man faces in a world that just hasn’t accepted he or his kind yet. The film does have a major surprise during the second act, and it’s just best that you know as little as possible about the character before venturing in to see this film.

That brings me to some of the technical aspects of the film that really achieve the kinds of visual fantasies to lose its audience in. First of all, the movie very much is a fitting tribute to 1921 England, and the kinds of fears that were plaguing the streets around World War I. The wardrobe by the prestigious Ann Maskrey is very sophisticated, with that air of British gentleman surrounding the college and its style. I also greatly enjoyed one of the very best musical scores midway through the 2016 movie year. Composer Cody Brown really encapsulates the ever-changing moods of the film effortlessly, often times musically narrating the film without overpowering it. The instruments are mostly piano, but the influence of a fine-tuned orchestra certainly makes its presence felt in a triumphant third act for our characters.

That brings me to the real problem that I had with the film: documentation. It’s quite ironic that the film (Like its main character) doesn’t log the work that goes into our answers, instead opting to leave out some of the more intriguing moments of Ramanujan’s life story. In that aspect, the film feels more like an outline than a fully committed biopic for this brilliant man, and that doesn’t feel more evident than in the film’s ending. To anyone who read my review last year for “In The Heart of the Sea”, you will remember that my biggest problem with that film was in the stuff we didn’t see being more excited than the stuff we get on-screen. While it’s not as hindering creatively with this film, there certainly is that feeling of regret that I didn’t see the best that this story had to offer. There’s a strange final shot that we get for the character of Ramanujan, and it makes even less sense during the film’s closing on-screen text that confirms that not everything was left on the set. Does it feel rushed? A little, but the biggest feeling i grasped was that this movie just doesn’t know how to fully entertain its audience. Too much fluff left on-screen, and too much importance left off.

As for the performances, there’s plenty of positives here to pick up the pieces from a script that is a tad disappointing. Dev Patel tests his limits dramtically, and it is in my opinion the most moving performance of his career. There’s so much in Ramanujan that Patel dazzles with, and I think his greatest strength is heart. Patel’s performances have always captured the heart of the underdog story, and even with a kid as brilliant as Ramanujan, we still find ourselves rooting on his triumph. Jeremy Irons is far and away the best thing about this film. In Hardy, we see a man whose whole life revolves around Math. He has no time for friends or family, so it’s great to see how those restrictive walls come down by the end of the film. The chemistry between he and Patel is surely a treat, and I couldn’t imagine this story without that aspect. The two wage quite a friendship by film’s end, and Math certainly feels secondary to their growing respect for one another. The great Toby Jones is also in the film, but sadly the script doesn’t have much time for him. Midway through the film, he is shipped out figuratively and literally, but it does allow the two main protagonists that time to bridge their tension. Jones returns by film’s end, but I do wish he would’ve been more of an acting force for a movie that constantly needed that extra kick.

Overall, “The Man Who Knew Infinity” is a heartening biopic with likable leads, but very little soul or heart beneath the table dressing. The film overcomes its shortcomings by accomplishing a sturdy blend of seriousness and tasteful humor. The bond that builds between two drastically different men who are in a position to appreciate each other’s brilliance is not only a compelling watch, but it alludes to the fact that our visual differences are never as important as the greatness that we achieve together.

7/10