Review of the film ‘Radioactive’ (2019)

This is a biographical picture about the scientist of Polish origin Maria Skłodowska, known as Marie Curie after marrying French scientist Pierre Curie. The film goes through all the major events in her life: her beginnings as a scientist, her partnership and then marriage with Pierre, the discovery of Radium and Polonium, the Nobel Prizes, her scandalous relation with Langevin and her campaign for the use of X-rays during the World War I.

The script from Jack Thorne takes a pedagogical approach, making it easy for present-day spectators to understand this story that happened more than one century ago - the protagonists show a way of thinking and speaking suited for 2019, not for the 1900s. Also, the script illustrates the consequences of the Curie’s discoveries by showing scenes for the introduction of Radiation Therapy, the Hiroshima bombing and the Chernobyl disaster. The script also shows Pierre travelling to Stockholm without Marie, which is, according to historical sources, false.

Director Satrapi follows this pedagogical approach by using an unrealistically bright lighting and by having a light tone that makes the actors deliver their lines rather than performing them. The level of production is good, showing the locations in the 1900s Paris look convincingly adequate for the epoch. As for the music, it is good.

The acting lacks depth as explained. Still, Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley, Sian Brooke and Katherine Parkinson are fine. Weak performance from Aneurin Barnard and Anya Taylor-Joy. Excellent Simon Russell Beale.

All in all: A work about Marie Curie that looks more as a documentary than a film. As a documentary, it would be excellent; but being a film, it is just entertaining. 3 out of 5.

Title:	Radioactive
Genre:	Historical
Year:	2019
Nationality:	United Kingdom, France, United States, China, Hungary
Colour:	Colour
Director:	Marjane Satrapi
Writer:	Jack Thorne, based on the graphic novel by Lauren Redniss
Cast:	Rosamund Pike, Yvette Feuer, Mirjam Novak, Ralph Berkin, Sam Riley, Simon Russell Beale, Sian Brooke, Faye Bradbrook, Drew Jacoby, Aneurin Barnard, Harriet Turnbull, Georgina Rich, Elise Alexandre, Katherine Parkinson, Dóra Köves, Mark Phelan, Alexis Latham, Indica Watson, Federica Fracassi, Demetri Goritsas, Charles Tumbridge, Corey Johnson, Péter Fancsikai, Paul Albertson, Yasuhito Ishikawa, Arthur Bateman, Jennifer White, Ema Yuasa, Nicola Willis, Acacia Schachte, Joseph Kudra, Robbie Moore, Jonas Vanderkerckhove, Oscar Ramos, Richard Pepple, Alex Bartram, Isabella Miles, Ariella Glaser, Martin Anzor, Anya Taylor-Joy, Cara Bossom, Edward Davis, Tim Woodward, Tamás Szabó
Producer:	Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Juan Cano Nono, Paul Webster, Andreas Wentz
Co-producer:	Ildikó Kemény, Caroline Levy, David Minkowski
Executive producer:	Amelia Granger, Ron Halpern, Didier Lupfer, Joe Wright
Production designer:	Michael Carlin
Cinematographer:	Anthony Dod Mantle
Film editor:	Stephane Roche
Casting:	Jina Jay
Art Director:	Géza Kerti
Set Decorator:	Robert Wischhusen-Hayes
Costume Designer:	Consolata Boyle
Music:	Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine
Running time:	109 minutes
Language:	English