Charlize Theron is nearly unrecognizable on screen in her role as Florida prostitute turned serial killer, Aileen Wuornos in Monster. The biographical drama follows the troubled woman along in her endeavors as she’s beaten, battered and bruised to a point that turns her into a killer. It’s a tragic story that raises questions about the American justice system and the treatment of women.
Aside from following her abuse and string of murders, it tells the tale of her falling in love with another woman, played by Christina Ricci. Wuornos was ultimately executed by the state of Florida for her crimes, while Theron received an Oscar for her performance in the role.
The Imitation Game (2014)
This historical drama stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, a cryptanalyst who worked for the British government decrypting German intelligence messages during WWII. The film follows his endeavors in trying to crack a Nazi code that is regarded to be uncrackable. The renowned code-breaking war hero, essentially pioneered considered computer science and artificial intelligence. As a homosexual, he was also criminally convicted and faced terrible treatment under U.K.'s homophobic law.
Instead of jail time, he opted for hormone therapy and chemical castration. As the final screen on the film reveals, however, after a year of therapy, he committed suicide at 41-years old.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Leonardo DiCaprio, who also helped to produce the movie, stars in this 2013 production as stockbroker, Jordan Belfort. The film follows along to tell the tale of the banker turned criminal, who got wrapped up in fraud and corruption on Wall Street, leading him down a dark path that ended behind bars. The real Belfort was involved in some outlandish scenarios that are eerily close to the way they are depicted in the film.
Margot Robbie plays the conman’s wife, and Jonah Hill costars as his partner and friend. It grossed nearly $117 million at the box office, and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Best Director for Martin Scorsese’s work on the film.
The Theory of Everything (2014)
This biographical romantic drama stars Eddie Redmayne as legendary physicist extraordinaire, Stephen Hawking. The English genius was a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death. The film was adapted from a 2007 novel, based on the scientist’s relationship with his wife, Jane, titled: Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen .
The Theory of Everything follows Hawking’s rise in science, along with his diagnosis and decline of health. It received a number of positive reviews, as well as five Oscar nominations. At the British Academy Film Awards, it was up for ten accolades. In the film, Redmayne shares the screen with Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emma Watson, and Harry Lloyd, among others.
The Social Network (2010)
In this 2010 hit, Jesse Eiesenberg stars as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, before he found his fortune. Today, Zuckerberg has a net worth of over $88 billion, but the film dives into the fact that some of his old classmates at Harvard sued him, claiming that the idea that led to what is now known as Facebook was stolen from them. The film reveals the darker side to Zuckerberg and his unmatched ambition.
The Social Network managed to bag eight Academy Award nominations and won for three, including Best Adapted Screenplay. It was also voted 27 out of 100 on a list of the best films of the century, created by 117 different critics.