ABSTRACT
Science-based stories about space exploration, natural disasters or biotechnology can show something tangible and engaging like a spaceship launch or a cloned creature. In Proof, from the stage play of the same name, Gwyneth Paltrow is Catherine, who gives up dreams of mathematical glory to care for her insane father Robert, once a brilliant mathematician. True mathematical madness is central to Pi, directed by Darren Aronofsky. In it, Max Cohen is a number theorist who thinks that “Mathematics is the language of nature. The Man Who Knew Infinity evokes human interest by showing the tension between Ramanujan’s phenomenal grasp of mathematics and his struggles to fully use his gift. Ramanujan’s brief shining mathematical arc is the main theme of the film, but Hardy’s longer history of dedication to mathematics and his support for Ramanujan deepen the story. This enhances the film as one of the few about real mathematics and not one but two real mathematicians.
