SYNOPSIS

The Theory of Everything is the extraordinary and uplifting story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, and of two people defying the steepest of odds through love. The film, based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, is directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh.

In 1963, as a cosmology student at the storied U.K. university Cambridge, Stephen is making great strides and is determined to find a "simple, eloquent explanation" for the universe. His own world opens up when he falls deeply in love with an arts major, fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde. But, at 21 years of age, this healthy, active young man receives an earth-shattering diagnosis: motor neuron disease will attack his limbs and his abilities, leaving him with limited speech and movement, and will take his life within two years. Jane’s love, fierce support, and determination are unwavering – and the duo weds. With his new wife fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen refuses to accept his diagnosis. As his body faces more limits, his mind continues to explore the outer limits of theoretical physics. Together, he and Jane defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed – well into the 21st century.

James Marsh

Marsh was born in Truro, Cornwall and raised in Sennen, a Cornish village, and Woolwich, a district in southeast London. In Woolwich, he lived in a "miserable council flat" with his family. When Marsh was ten, his father became a born-again Christian who banned him from watching films. Marsh won a scholarship to the University of Oxford. He graduated with a degree in English. Marsh began his early career in directing with several documentaries made for the BBC. In 2008 he made the documentary Man on Wire, about Philippe Petit's walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Man on Wire won theAcademy Award for Best Documentary Feature, the BAFTA Award for Best British film, the Independent Spirit Award, and many others. In 2012, he directed Shadow Dancer, a joint Irish/UK production about the Irish republican movement, which was filmed in Dublin and London. The Theory of Everything is his fourth feature film.


Filmography

2014 Theory of Everything, The
2012 Shadow Dancer
2005 King, The
1999 Wisconsin Death Trip

Festivals
2014 Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Talin, Mil Veli

Awards

2015 Golden Globes -Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, Best Original Score - Motion Picture (Jóhann Jóhannsson); Palm Springs - Desert Palm Achievement Award; Mill Valley - Audience Award, Favorite World Feature



It's an exceptional film, not because of its protagonists' impressive triumphs, but because it honors their struggle.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post