A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Best Picture, 2002 ceremony. Russell Crowe gives John Nash's awkwardness a particular rhythm, and Jennifer Connelly makes the marriage feel consequential. Knowing how the film reorganises its early scenes, however, can turn their thriller suspense into a long wait for information you already hold. Later episodes hurry towards public recognition. My reservation concerns that dramatic design: the performances suggest a messier shared life than the revelation-and-triumph framework allows.