Before I start, let me just say that you have two options:

1. You read this post and then go to see The Imitation Game
2. You take your coat and go to see it right now

Last weekend I had the bright idea of taking Manu and Mr. Fox out to the movies – courtesy of the lovely Tuschinski theatre in Amsterdam. I had in mind a movie I’ve been dying to see – hot topic amongst my IT industry fellows. The Imitation Game brings us Golden Globe already-nominee Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Alan Turing, solving one of the history’s most significant puzzles – the Enigma.

First of all, let me tell you what to expect in terms of feelings … Remember Manu’s 646 abs challenge? Worked my way towards the goal during the whole movie, that’s how intense it was :) Cumberbatch has definitely outdone himself – even though playing roles of difficult, misunderstood but brilliant individuals is a commonality for him – this time he triggered fireworks. It’s sad to watch but also filled with humor, his character is fragile but, in the end, proves to somehow have the strength within him to save millions of lives. It is a truly inspiring movie, but at the end you might feel small.

The story has two main focus points. On one hand, it builds up the tension around the events of the Second World War. Through outstanding acting, one of the world’s most significant fact-based stories is unraveled. It depicts one piece of history that might have made the European map look as it does today. Alan Turing’s contribution towards breaking the Enigma machine – used by Nazis to encrypt communication towards armed forces- might have shortened the war by two to four years and tipped the scale towards the winning Allies.

On the other hand, the movie brings a tribute to the extraordinary accomplishments of Alan Turing. For those of you that are not familiar with this name, the movie can serve as a sound and well deserved introduction to one of the fathers of modern computing. He had a story of highs and lows, a brilliant but not at ease mind, both as a child and as an adult.

Will not say anything further, in order not to interrupt while you’re tying your shoelaces :) I was eagerly awaiting for Tuesday to come so I could get the chance to convince some of you to see this movie. I could even risk a bet that Cumberbatch will have an Academy Award heading his way but let’s just wait and see… Hope you’ll enjoy it! … It’s a hell of a story…

Presi

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