The Best Film of 2014

The Imitation Game

Down & Dirty: The best film of 2014

Director: Morten Tyldum

Big Names: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley

Occasionally a film will come around that does a little bit of everything perfectly. Solid amount of drama. Tiny dose of comedy. Good bit of intrigue. Snippets of romance. These elements are interwoven seamlessly to create a flush montage – a well told story. Of course none of this is possible without a good premise. And where do the best premises come from? True stories. Drama rooted in reality.

The Imitation Game does what Unbroken could not do. It takes a true story and makes it so powerful, so urgent and personal that it commands your full emotional attention. Angelina Jolie’s film focused on human triumph in the face of unfathomable adversity. But in that movie the viewer only knows Louie in the context of several mostly horrific situations. It doesn’t feel real until you walk out of the theater and remind yourself, “Wow that legitimately did happen.” The Imitation Game suffers no such delayed empathy. This is the tale of Alan Turing, an Einstein-like genius who accelerated World War II about five years in the Allies favor. How? He cracked the unbreakable Nazi communication code known as Enigma using the earliest computer engineering. To tell you the machinations through which he did it and the opposition he faced throughout the process would be to rob you of a most fulfilling cinematic experience. But I will give a shameless sales pitch on why it is worth watching.

The penmanship of the script can and should be appreciated by all. A World War II political thriller revolving around the life of a mathematician is such a mundane premise to history-handicapped millenials, but the dialogue is sharp enough to stay relevant. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock-like demeanor captivates the viewer right off the bat. Don’t know about WWII? Don’t sweat it. The film does a phenomenal job of informing the viewer without condescending, unlike the character of Alan Turing.

Turing can truly be a prick. His abrasive nature is seemingly the social deficiency manifested in his genius. I’ve never seen an actor so completely embrace this stigma of genius. Cumberbatch is believable in every moment of bewilderment at his own unpleasantness. The ticks, the arrogant looks, and the obsessive behavior - it’s all beautifully portrayed in Cumberbatch’s committed performance. The Oscar nomination for Best Actor is fully deserved. As is the film’s overall nomination for Best Picture.

(SPOILER AHEAD)

I will spoil one bit for you because it deserves talking about: Alan Turing was gay. You might be asking yourself why you haven’t heard of Alan Turing before. The answer is shocking, unfortunate, and straight-forward.

England buried him. Both figuratively and literally.

His country failed to recognize him for his accomplishments (War-time and otherwise) until one year ago due to the fact that they persecuted him for his sexuality back in the 1950’s. He was forced to undergo hormonal treatment which eventually drove him to suicide. Take that in. It took until one year ago to recognize this man’s accomplishments because he was attracted to the same sex. Just remember that we as a society have the capacity for extraordinarily inhumane treatment and we often still refuse to own up to those mistakes in retrospect. Forgiveness is consigned to oblivion.

During the Oscar campaign, the film’s promoters really pushed the angle of The Imitation Game being a platform for the rights of homosexuals and the historical persecution homosexuals have faced. Rightfully so – but it would be a shame to pigeon hole this film as a socio-political rallying point.  It’s so much more than that. The entire filmmaking process blends together to create an unforgettable cinematic experience. Movies like The Imitation Game only come around once in a while. Don’t miss it.