Radioactive is Amazon Studio’s biographical drama film about Marie Curie. It focuses on the relationship with her husband Pierre Curie, her discoveries and the future for those discoveries. Rosamund Pike portrays Curie as a headstrong, awkward and stubborn woman, who is clearly a feminist before her time. The film focuses not just on her life but on the influence of her work, both the good and the bad and the truly frightening, with nods to Chernobyl, Hiroshima, and radiotherapy.
Her main battle seems to be her as a woman and an immigrant from Poland versus the old white Frenchmen, the Nobel Prize committee, and then later on the press. She wants to be considered as a scientist in her own right but it is through her husband that most of her achievements come.
It begins with her death and then flashes back to her meeting her future husband. The rest of the film moves around in time but it is easy to follow. There is more of a focus on her later life than a chronological journey from childhood but with the radioactivity to explain, this was probably a better choice to fit into the hour and forty-five-minute run time.
There are some cinematic moments, a frequent use of vignette edged shots and visuals that go well with the science that is being explained. It is also fascinating to see the characters fiddling around and holding a material that we now know is so dangerous. Overall, it is a film that is compelling despite the science lesson.
‘Radioactive’ is available to stream on Prime Video.
Pep Reviews 