Creation (PG-13, 2010)

It's widely accepted that Charles Darwin was brilliant, but not many are aware of how loving he was. Creation isn’t simply about the great naturalist’s deep inquiry into the genesis of all creatures great and small; it’s also about loss. And it’s the better for it. Yes, we see Darwin hard at work on his book and weighing its existential significance, but what leaves a weighty impression aren’t his discoveries, but how his daughter death leaves him palpably bereft. Few of the fittest can survive such heartbreak.

For this, the audience has Bettany to thank. He holds nothing back; his struggle is achingly believable. The camera loves his real-life partner, Connelly, too, but she’s too inscrutable, not specific enough. (It makes for a slight imbalance in the film.) As Annie, West is all vim and delight, very much her father’s daughter, which makes her demise that much more painful. Creation’s jumbled time structure sometimes poses a challenge, and a few scenes border on overlong, but there’s plenty left to gratify demanding audiences.