As fun as it is to see characters who use their strength for amazing feats, there is something immediately compelling about brilliant intellectual characters. The kind of people that can use their mind to solve impossible problems and man a name for themselves are extremely fascinating and their stories can be so engrossing.
The genius of these characters can manifest itself in scientific ways, artistic ways or unexpected ways. But it seems a common theme in movies that there is a dark side to their brilliance. Their amazing minds often come with other hurdles to overcome or make them outcasts in society. Here are some of the best movies about tortured geniuses, ranked.
Steve Jobs
Many films on this list are the stories of real-life and well-known geniuses but Steve Jobs is the most contemporary figure of them all. Jobs was, of course, the man behind Apple computers and was known as a tenacious and brilliant person.
The film stars Michael Fassbender as Jobs and is told in three separate sequences. Each sequence has Jobs dealing with personal behind-the-scenes struggles as he prepares to present his newest inventions to the world. His passion and arrogance often push people away, including his own daughter, despite his best efforts. As he explains in one honest moment, “I’m poorly made.”
The Imitation Game
Alan Turing is a figure who is not always given the recognition he deserved but The Imitation Game helps tell his amazing story. Turing was an English mathematician who was an integral part of the efforts to break the German Enigma machine which helped bring an end to World War II.
Benedict Cumberbatch does a stellar job playing Turing as a man who is so brilliant that he can often come off as rude and cold to others. The film also addresses Turing’s struggle to hide his homosexuality at a time when that secret would put him in danger even as he is attempting to save the world.
Frida
Many films that explore the lives of famous painters often expose the darker side to their art and that is no different with Frida. The film stars Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo, one of the most influential and popular artists of her time.
Hayek gives an incredible performance as Frida and explores how her life influenced her work. From her struggles with constant pain to her relationship with her mentor and husband to her many affairs, the film presents a troubled yet inspiring figure who was able to turn pain into beauty.
Amadeus
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the most famous names in the world of music. The young and brilliant composer’s amazing career and tragic life were explored in the compelling drama, Amadeus.
The film takes a unique approach to the biopic with the story focused on Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), a rival composer who watched with envy as Mozart continued to prove himself to be the better artist. We see Mozart’s struggles with his own talents through the eyes of Salieri who ironically wishes he could be as tortured by brilliance.
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums is a more comedic take on the story of tortured geniuses with this Wes Anderson film exploring the talents and dysfunctional lives of the titular family of child prodigies who grew up to have a whole lot of problems.
The Tenenbaum children all excelled in various areas when they were young such as tennis, playwriting, and finance. However, their unusual upbringing and their selfish father helped shape them into very troubled and lost adults. It’s a funny, heartbreaking, and touching look at an incredibly odd family of geniuses.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is another incredible true story but one that might not be as well-known as some of the others on this list. It takes a look at the life of Jean-Dominique Bauby, an editor of the popular fashion magazine Elle. After suffering a stroke, Bauby finds himself completely paralyzed except for his left eye.
The movie explores Bauby’s life before his ailments, struggling with his new limited lifestyle and remarkably writing his own memoir while in his paralyzed state. The result is a difficult yet inspiring story of perseverance in the face of enormous obstacles.
The Theory Of Everything
Stephen Hawking is famous for being one of the most brilliant people in the community of science. His work and theories have changed the way many people look at the world and he achieved all this while overcoming incredibly difficult personal struggles.
The Theory of Everything stars Eddie Redmayne as Hawking during his early career. The story explores his amazing and ground-breaking work while his body was degenerating from ALS and how his relationship with his first wife helped him create his own amazing legacy.
Rain Man
Rain Man is another fictional look at a tortured genius as well as a fun road trip movie. Tom Cruise stars as a selfish young man who learns that his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) was given the majority of his father’s fortune following his death. In an effort to get some money for himself, he takes Raymond on a cross country trip.
Raymond is seen as largely in his own world but we slowly see he has amazing talents. The movie presents a touching and entertaining movie about these two brothers getting to know one another.
A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind is the Oscar-winning story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who also struggles with personal demons. When his skills get the attention of the government, he is recruited to work in cryptography for the CIA which sends his life into a nightmarish spiral.
Like many of the characters on this list, Nash was a man whose brilliance was accompanied by anti-social behavior. We see the man reach the heights of his profession as well as the depths of his own mental suffering in this poignant and compelling story.
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting is the story of finding genius in the most unexpected places. Matt Damon stars as a young Boston man who works blue-collar jobs and gets into trouble with the law while also possessing incredible skills as a mathematician. When those talents are discovered, he begins working with a Harvard professor and undergoes therapy with an unconventional therapist.
It’s interesting to see the story of someone so brilliant who works so hard to hide that fact from the world. As the story continues, we see the reason for this from his troubled life in foster homes. In the end, it is the story of someone allowing themselves to have a life they don’t think they deserve.
