Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge

Breaking every glass ceiling imposed over her and bulldozing through damaging disinformation proffered by enemies, Marie Curie (Karolina Gruszka) is introduced in filmmaker Marie Noëlle’s French drama as a genius and force of nature, as well as a courageous widow. Polish-born and as educated and scientifically ambitious as her French researcher husband, Pierre (Charles Berling), Curie receives a Nobel Prize (with her spouse) and acclaim for groundbreaking work in isolating radium. Following Pierre’s accidental death, Marie plunges deeper into their unfinished studies, initially denying herself sustenance both for body and soul. Entering into an affair with a married colleague just as her efforts with radium reach fruition, Curie pushes back against scandal and sexism. Well-acted and illuminating, even if it is sometimes more soap opera than scientific drama, Marie Curie is a handsome-looking film set equally in shadowy laboratories, a sun-dappled natural world, and the intimacy of love nests. And it’s a nice treat when Albert Einstein (Piotr Glowacki) shows up and finds in Curie a kindred spirit. Recommended. (T. Keogh)