Synopsis
This controversial film is the story of Mileva Maric, born in Serbia in 1875 and the first woman to study physics at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich. A brilliant student, her special interest was mathematical physics. Maric is a woman who, in death, as well as in life, has been largely defined by a relationship with a man: she was the first wife of Albert Einstein. Thus, the film should be of interest to students of science or gender studies. In a letter to Maric, Einstein wrote: "How happy I am to have found in you a creature who is my equal, and who is as strong and independent as I am." The two were intellectual collaborators on a number of ideas, including the theory of relativity. Some credit Mileva Maric with formulating the revolutionary theory. But a familiar story ensued. Maric became pregnant with Einstein's child, and gave the girl up for adoption when Einstein would not marry her. They did subsequently marry. Maric's intellectual role was subsumed into that of her husband. She became mother and caretaker, freeing Einstein to follow his own star. Ultimately, Einstein left her for another woman, while Maric spent the remainder of her life struggling to support their two children, including a psychotic son. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide