Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Growing up poor in Madras, India, Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar earns admittance to Cambridge University during WWI, where he becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories with the guidance of his professor, G.H. Hardy.
The Man Who Knew Infinity is elevated primarily by its subject matter — the remarkable true story of Ramanujan is inherently singular and rarely explored in mainstream cinema, lending it genuine novelty. The film depicts the cultural clash between a self-taught Indian prodigy and the rigid British academic establishment with care. Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons deliver solid performances, though neither transcends the material into something truly extraordinary. The cinematography is competent period work — Cambridge is rendered handsomely but not memorably. The plot follows a fairly conventional biographical arc, hitting expected beats of struggle, recognition, and tragedy without significant structural ambition. The ending, shaped by Ramanujan's early death, carries emotional weight but feels somewhat rushed and understated given the magnitude of his life.