" The Theory of Everything " is a 124 minutes long biographical romantic drama film depicting Stephen Hawkins's story, a theoretical English Physicist, released in 2014. The movie was set at the University of Cambridge, directed by James Marsh, and it was influenced by the book " Travelling to Infinity " by Jane Wilde Hawking. The film's first scene shows blurred images of five individuals marching along the hallway; Steven Hawking is seated in a wheelchair, alongside his wife Jane Hawking and their three children. This scene acts as a foreshadow of what the viewer expects throughout the film. Thus, this review will explain the movie, the type of grief affecting the Hawkins family, a theoretical framework of the grieving process, and possible interventions to help the character.
Explanation
" The Theory of Everything " film depicts the life and story of Stephen Hawkins, an English theoretical physicist, who many people consider as one of the greatest minds during the 21st century. The film exhibits Stephen Hawkins' love life, his education, and his illness. It also depicts his theories, which are of great significance to most people across the world. The movie's first scene shows blurred images of Stephen Hawkins, Jane Wilde, and their children. This part is a foreshadow, depicting the exact scenario in the movie. This scene coincides with another showing the young, energetic Stephen Hawkins with his friend Brian, racing with bicycles along Cambridge's streets. The two individuals are enjoying their time and making fun of each other as they head for Cambridge University. The movie shows Stephen Hawkins achieve greatness despite being diagnosed with motor neuron disease at 21. He does not give up on himself, and he tries every possible means to achieve success by focusing on his "time" theory. His intelligence is portrayed when he asks the doctor if the disease will affect his ability to think (" The Theory of Everything ," 2014, 0:26:45). This shows that he is determined to find his "equation" even though the disease will affect his ability to control most voluntary actions.
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The Description of Grief
Humans experience grief when they encounter distressful situations. The aspect of grief in " The Theory of Everything" is evident when the physician breaks the news to Hawkins that he is suffering from motor neuron disease (" The Theory of Everything ," 2014, 0:25:45). His face exhibits grief when the physician explains that the disorder will interfere with his ability to speak, swallow, walk, and breathe. Besides, he expresses grief after learning that he will experience gradual muscle decay, lowering his life expectancy to two years. The grief of the disease changes Stephen's social and emotional behavior. At first, he wants to stay alone by himself, which is a common trait in grieving people. This is evident when he tells Brian to leave him since he feels depressed by the physician's news. Secondly, Stephen avoids speaking to Jane Wilde. He thinks that Jane would not love her if he has the disease. This makes him avoid company with Jane for a while. When they meet, Stephen tells Jane to leave him, but she insists on playing a game with him.
Stephen's body position when he hides from Jane exhibits grief. He is emotionally distressed that he would not achieve his academic duties because he has only two years to live. Additionally, he is stressed by the fact that the disease will affect his voluntary actions. This would hinder him from coping with people effectively. The grief also affects Stephen's friends like Brian. They portray distraught faces while in the bar, showing a feeling of worry and grief.
Type of Grief
The types of grief evident in the film are anticipatory grief, collective grief, and complicated grief. The anticipatory grief is evident as Jane watches Stephen struggling to play the croquet game. Her face portrays grief as she watches Stephen try to balance himself with the wooden mallet. Anticipatory grief occurs when the health of an individual begins to deteriorate. This is evident when Stephen's walking style changes, and he can barely support himself. Collective grief occurs when close people like friends and family feel stressed over an individual's loss or poor health. Stephen's friends, family, and Jane are stressed by his health and the little time he has to stay alive. Stephen's father tells Jane that Stephen's health will be a "heavy defeat for all of us," showing that it is a collective grieving process (" The Theory of Everything ," 2014, 0:37:20). Complicated grief occurs when individuals experience prolonged suffering. This is characterized by a long period of sorrow and sadness. As Hawkins' health worsens, his friends and Jane experience sadness and sorrow because he cannot cope as usual. The ability to move, eat, and speak becomes a problem, forcing him to burden others. Nonetheless, Hawkins' intelligence is portrayed when he develops the theory of time, allowing him to receive a doctorate.
Analysis and Application
In understanding Hawkins' and Jane's grieving process, the six Rs of grieving are vital. In the first phase, Dr. Rando suggests that the individual experiences avoidance (Patricelli, n. d). They try to contemplate the scenario and how they can cope with it. This phase is evident when Hawkins avoids associating himself with his friends for a while. He stays in seclusion, contemplating how he can improve his life with the little time available. In the avoidance phase, Dr. Rando suggests that individuals attempt to recognize the loss by accepting it and moving on with life. The second phase is the confrontation stage, which involves individuals dealing with grief and contemplating how they can cope with their experiences (Patricelli, n. d). The confrontation stage involves reacting to the separation, recollecting experiences, and relinquishing attachments. The confrontation stage is evident when Jane decides to marry Hawkins despite the disease. Jane mentions that they will fight the illness together. The family agrees to help Hawkins and Jane through their challenging period.
The third phase of Dr. Rando's grief model is accommodation (Patricelli, n. d). In this stage, the individuals accept the problem and aim to discover the meaning of life. Stephen accepts to continue with his coursework even with the disease. He tries to cope with the situation, even though he cannot walk and speak properly. He manages to come up with his "time theory," achieving him a doctorate title. This happens when he is unable to control some of his voluntary actions. Nonetheless, he remains strong and with high spirits to engage in lectures and social gatherings to influence other people's lives. According to Dr. Rando, the accommodation phase involves readjusting into a new life and reinvesting energy into things that create a sense of purpose (Patricelli, n. d). These attributes are evident when Hawkins proves his time theory to a panel of professors. Besides, he writes several books using his speech communication device and delivers motivational speeches to students and other individuals. Dr. Rando's theoretical framework applies to Hawkins' grieving process. Hawkins portrayed all the phases of grief as Dr. Rando's mourning framework. However, Dr. Kubler-Ross explains the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (Corr, 2020).
Suppose I were a psychologist, I would have used Kubler-Ross's model on Hawkins during his grieving process. Firstly, the psychologist should understand the individual's problem and provide necessary support during various grief stages. Aid can be in the form of psychological, emotional, and physical support. This may involve giving hope, reassurance, and encouragement to the individual. This strategy would help to lower stress and establish a positive foundation for the life of the individual. Secondly, the psychologist can help the individual in managing internal systems and energies. This involves monitoring the individual and providing emotional support to help them avoid suicidal thoughts and self-harm. He can give them hope on continuing with medication to improve their lives. Thirdly, the psychologist can employ talk therapies to engage with the individual. This may include asking them about their feelings and their perceptions about their health.
The psychologist may also ask them what they like to do to improve their health. He may encourage them to engage in activities that bring joy and happiness to their lives. This would help them in self-development, thereby assisting the individual in coping effectively in times of crisis. He can provide support in every stage of grief, as outlined by Kubler-Ross. Fundamentally, the psychologist can focus on the depression stage as it is the most crucial phase in a grieving process. He can provide psychological assistance to help the individual cope with depression. The psychologist may apply psychodynamic and interpersonal therapies to help the individual cope with stress and depression. Thus, as a psychologist, I would have used these approaches to help Hawkins cope with his sickness, including the grieving process during his first discovery.
Conclusion
Steven Hawkins left an indelible mark of how a man can struggle to achieve greatness despite poor health and bad times. He struggled with the disease to complete his time theory, write books, and deliver speeches that motivate many people worldwide. The movie left an impression that no matter how many problems and suffering people experience in life, they should remain strong and focus on what brings hope. They should engage in positive things that would help them achieve a purposeful life. I would recommend this movie to counselors, social workers, and pastors since they engage with many people experiencing such problems. This movie would help them understand that there is hope that one can achieve success in any crisis they encounter. Hawkins used motor neuron disease as a stepping stone to achieving his goals. Therefore, individuals can use their problems like an elevator to achieve their dreams and become successful.
References
Corr, C. A. (2020). Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and the "five stages" model in a sampling of recent American textbooks. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying, 82(2), 294-322.
"The Theory of Everything." (2014). [Movie]. Retrieved from https://lookmovie.io/movies/view/the-theory-of-everything-2014
Patricelli, K. Stage of Grief Models: Rando. https://www.gracepointwellness.org/58-grief-bereavement-issues/article/8445-stage-of-grief-models-rando
