The 2009 film "Creation" about Charles Darwin

Darwin is obviously a polarizing figure in Creation-Evolution debates but we rarely hear about the struggles of faith the man had to go through himself in the process of writing his theories and his seminal book. I just watched the 2009 biopic "Creation" starring real life couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly about Charles Darwin's personal battle with family, faith and health as he runs into a roadblock half-way through completion of the "Origin of Species". The film is based on the book "Annie's Box" written by Darwin's great-great-grandson who used as source material memoires from a box that Charles kept of his favorite daughter Annie who died at a young age from an infectious illness.

While the film did not receive much acclaim from critics or the general public, it has quickly become one of my personal favourites. This is not because of the science, medicine and history of the film which are all subjects on film that I personally enjoy. No, this film does not focus on these aspects of Darwin's story and in the process touches on the deeper and more powerful topics of faith, religion and family. In fact, most of the negative reviews I read about this film seemed to come from atheists who complained that there was too much religion and family drama in the film and not enough focus on Darwin's actual scientific exploits. They probably see Darwin as a heroic figure and were disappointed that this film was not about standing up to the Church and society with his radical idea. Instead the film paints a picture of a tortured soul wrestling with his inner demons about the impact an idea like evolution has on society, his relationship with his devoutly Christian wife, his children and his own personal diminishing faith in the Christian portrayal of God.

The main focus of the film is Charles' relationship with his daughter Annie and his relationship with his wife. I found both these relationships to be very well developed and personally moving because I also have a wife who differs from me on the issue of evolution and I have an inquisitive daughter who has recently gone through several hospitalizations. I think the third relationship that is most emphasized is the one between Charles and God including a very powerful prayer scene as Charles makes one last plea for his daughter's life.

This movie is obviously not for everyone and those who are emotionally involved from either end of the creation-evolution debate will probably not like this film. But for those who simply enjoy a good film exploring one man's struggle with faith and one family's wrestling with the loss of a loved one before their time, I highly recommend "Creation".