“John Nash (Russel Crowe), an extraordinary and brilliant but aloof and distant mathematician

became a spy. He’s working on a top-secret assignment for the government against Russia as a

cryptographer. The event turned his way of living into madness and complicated life.”

Ron Howard's Oscar-winning film, "A Beautiful Mind” is a biographical drama film produced in

2001. It is based on the true life story of the famous, mathematician genius, John Nash, who is

portrayed by Academy Award Winner Russel Crowe. The film exhibits the timeline of Nash’s life

that begins on his early life when he enters Princeton University in September 1947 to study

mathematics.

At Princeton University, John Nash has been struggling to have a breakthrough or to create his

own original idea that will contribute to the world especially in the world of Mathematics. With

the support of his roommate Charles (Paul Bettany) he did not give up pursuing his ambition.

Eventually he made a breakthrough that will surely earn him the Nobel Prize.

After graduate school John Nash turns to teaching and met Alicia Larde (Jennifer Connelly), one

of his students and eventually became his wife. While everything is going well with his career

and life the government seeks for his help with breaking Soviet codes. In there, he met a man

whom he calls by the name “Big Brother” or its name William Parcher (Ed Harris), who is an

agent of The Department of Defense that gave him the secret assignment to decode Soviet

messages that was in fact all a “DELUSION”.

This is the part where the story became more intense and interesting. Surprisingly, John Nash

was experiencing schizophrenia early before he enters to Princeton University. The early
symptoms of schizophrenia begin to appear where his roommate Charles suddenly appears.

His condition became worse when he practically met Parcher (Ed Harris). Parcher convinced

and pushed him to be determined to decode soviet messages. There is a specific scene where

Nash and Parcher were being chased by the Russians and Parcher got his hands dirty by killing

those two Russians. By that event Nash was close to lose himself and don’t know exactly how

to respond with what’s happening in his life. Nash grew more and more paranoid that made

Alicia and his colleagues worried about his condition. By the unusual behavior of Nash his

colleagues was forced to send him to psychiatric center where they did everything they could do

to treat him.

Nash’s life became very different from before he enters Princeton University to what he is after

being at the psychiatric center. Being there was never his choice, he still believes what he is

seeing and still believes his delusions that’s why he secretly neglect his medications without

Alicia’s knowing. His treatment and medication made him unable and hard to do what he always

does before his treatment. He cannot focus and solved mathematics related problems.

Nash was not the only one who is suffering from his condition. His wife Alicia also suffers from

being the strong one for both of them and for their child. It is the love, support, aid, and

assistance of Alicia that made Nash to fight his condition and to be better again. And, finally with

the support from Alicia and his determination, Nash can able to recover his mental strength and

regain his status as the great mathematician.

The Director of the film, Ron Howard really deserves all the applauses. “A Beautiful Mind” is one

of the exceptional story and film ever made. Howard really does a remarkable job of engaging

his audience, introducing a brilliant main character, and making the audience experience the

reality of mental illness. The directorial mastery that Howard exhibits throughout allows the

audience to accompany Nash on his journey and awareness of his illness. The sequences of

the scenes are on-point from the very beginning up to the end where you simply cannot tell what

was really going on. The film will make you question yourself if what you are watching is the true

reality of Nash or is it his delusions.

As for the actors especially Academy Award Winner - Russel Crowe also deserves all the

applauses. He did a great, heart-pounding, and astonishing act. The audiences can able to

relate and feel his emotions while delivering each lines and scenes. The cinematography is

pleasing to the eyes and has a vintage like theme that met the standards of the story where it is

set way back to 1990’s. The film is great and all but the adaptation of Nash's mind and his life

have been beautified according to Hollywood's standards but all in all the film is still exceptional.

The idea that made John Nash won the Nobel Prize is his work about the “Game Theory” or the

Noncooperative games. What Nash discovered is that any such game has a strategy, now

called“Nash equilibrium”, where any unilateral change in strategy by a player results in a worse

outcome for that player.

Watching this film will make audiences to acquire lessons about life, sufferings, pains, and

more. Nash’s story is very uncommon to all and not everyone can relate especially from his

condition. His story served as a window for people who don’t have an idea about having mental

health condition. The hardships and sufferings are apparent in this film that will make viewers to

feel what Nash’s and Alicia go through. The experiences of Nash make life harder and

complicated but if we took the chance or the step to move forward we can be better again and

stronger just like John Nash. And, what we can acquire from Alicia is her capability to handle the

responsibility and her obligation to Nash. Alicia never gave up on Nash even though when it’s

like the world given up to Nash and to their relationship. She takes the lead and be the bigger

person in their relationship. It is true love that binds them up to the end.