Creation

"Creation" tells the story of one of the greatest minds of all time: Charles Darwin.  Paul Bettany plays Darwin during the period in his life when he was writing his magnum opus, On the Origin of Species.  Unfortunately, this was also a very dark time for Darwin and his wife, Emma (played by Bettany's real-life wife Jennifer Connelly), since they were mourning the death of their eldest daughter, Annie.  More than the great amount of research that went into writing his famous tome, we see the guilt and agony that Darwin experiences as he blames himself for his daughter's death.  He also experiences bouts of depression and hallucinations during this period, and we see him speaking to Annie as if she were still alive.  Meanwhile, the strain in Darwin's marriage that began after Annie's death continues to grow as he works on his research.  Emma is a pious woman who resents Darwin's work because she believes it goes against the word of God.  Bettany is magnificent as Darwin; he is able to both convey Darwin's deep sadness and suffering for Annie as well as his childlike curiosity and wonder at the nature of creatures.  There is an especially moving story within the film about Darwin's relationship with the first orangutan ever brought to the western world.  However, I did wish after watching this film that they went into greater detail of explaining Darwin's work and less time focusing on Annie's demise.  Still, with acting this fine and an interesting take on the controversy surrounding On the Origin of Species - I thought it was clever to show Emma as Darwin's biggest opposer and supporter at the same time - I was pleasantly surprised by this touching film.


3 out of 5 stars