My Picks from the Bio-Pics

My Picks from the BioPics

Today’s topic is Biographical drama. I know, when I say it, countless movies may pop up in your head at the same time. Let me guess a few: from GoodFellas to Bohemian Rhapsody; from Schindler’s List to The theory of Everything, from A Beautiful Mind to many more. There are ‘rags-to riches’ like Chris Gardner (in The Pursuits of Happyness) or James Baddock (in Cinderella Man) who always inspire us with their journey from depravity to accomplishments.  There are biopics on the Powerhouses like Lincoln, Jobs or Armstrong (the first man) which educate us with deep knowledge and insight. There are women-centric biopics as well which won many hearts and awards-like Judy,  Brockovich or (queen) Elizabeth; stories like ‘Hidden Figure’ not only tell us their contribution to the society, but also show a sad side of racial discrimination, corporate corruption and many things. And there are  many brilliant biopics which I'm guilty of not seeing yet. All these movies must be phenomenal in its own ways, there is no second thought about that.

Here, let me take the liberty to offer my top 5 picks for the readers. It is not based on any qualification criteria, it’s the sheer energy these movies have given, which makes me watch them again and again. I am sure, these movies certainly would have impacted you too in some way or the other.

1.       The Imitation Game: The story doesn’t only offer a legend’s (Alan Turing) journey, but also enlightens us with his intelligence and success with cryptography to decipher the German Enigma code. His determination (sometimes stubbornness) to achieve the ‘greater good’ by sacrificing the immediate ones is something which the movie reflects in a fantastic way. The movie also reminds us the socio-political reality of that era where everybody (even a man like him) has to fight for their existential freedom or to surrender to the powers. This story is important for me and possibly for many Indians who do not read about them in their history books.

2.       Catch me if you can: it is debatable whether it should be considered as a great story to talk about. But you know, in my early days of exposure to the American cinemas (you can guess the years J), I was very close to this movie. Reason can be -Spielberg’s ‘dream works’ or can be the two Powerhouses coming together on screen- which was more than sufficient for me to push it to the top of my list. Frank Abagnale’s intelligence and courage always amaze us while leading to a satisfying ending to his unbelievable adventure.

3.       The King’s Speech: Inspite of Colin Firth’s most deserving Oscar for the leading role, I still would say it is an underrated movie of our time. This is a different kind of inspirational story where the protagonist may not be struggling to create his identity and make an impression to the world with his deeds. Our protagonist has everything in the world. This story is a journey where one overcomes his greatest fear, his deepest weakness. It is a fight within. A spectacular performance by all the leading actors reflects it beautifully. We experienced a metaphorically similar journey of Howard Hughes in the movie Aviator.

4.       The Danish Girl: Picking up a ‘woman’ story is always special and my pick goes to Gerda. Yes, it’s Gerda. It’s a story of pure love which goes beyond one’s personal desire and puts forth what is right. It’s a story of identifying the nature’s truth and complementing it. It’s not Lily Elbe’s intense journey of self-discovery, but Gerda’s sacrifice and support to make it happen, which makes the movie very special to me. Footnote: The film received some criticism for its inaccurate portrayal of the actual history.

5.       Sully-Miracle on the Hudson: There are stories of circumstantial preys and their journey of overcoming and rising above (eg. 127 hours), but my select will be one from Eastwood's shelf. You know, sometimes, not an entire journey, but a momentary decision can make somebody a Hero. It still gives me goose bumps when I watch Sully’s calmness yet self-belief in his eyes when the plane crashes (read lands) to Hudson with 155 people. Tom Hanks’ brilliant portrayal of Sully makes the movie more spectacular. The footnote here is- the first officer’s last comment- ‘I would have done it in July’.

How many did you find common with your list?