“The Imitation Game” is the true story of famous British mathematician Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Turing was a disparate genius who enlisted in World War II to break the unbreakable code behind Germany’s telegraphed transmissions.

Turing was a strange and eccentric personality. He was very straight forward, to the point of being off-putting and obviously had no understanding of how to interact with other people. He was rude and insulting to the people he worked with, thereby isolating himself.

However, throughout the entire movie audiences can consistently connect to Turing and feel sympathy for him.

This is due to both a phenomenal script that humanizes the characters, and the outstanding acting by Cumberbatch and the rest of the cast that broadcasts the emotions that are being experienced by the characters in a subtle and realistic way.

Cumberbatch managed to portray a very alien and strange person without losing the sensitive emotional humanity, which the audience could connect. Without Cumberbatch’s ability to reconcile these two aspects of Turing, this movie would lack the emotionality it needed to work.

Keira Knightley played the role of Joan Clarke, an incredibly intelligent woman who becomes close to Turing. Clarke is an incredible foil to Turing, further developing his character, as well as adding a softer side to Turing.

This film is not, by most standards, a typical war movie. Despite taking place during World War II, scenes of intense violence on a battlefield are virtually nonexistent.

In fact, most of the film takes place in a radio factory. This is because “The Imitation Game” is not a movie about fighting World War II, but rather about trying to solve a puzzle that would give the Allies the advantage they need to survive.

Instead of exciting and dramatic firefights, audiences are brought into a more mundane but incredibly emotional place.

Director Morten Tyldum did fantastic work building an ambience for the film as well as building a palpable pressure the audience can feel as the characters race against the clock.

“The Imitation Game” features a great cast that played out a remarkable and moving story that earned it a Best Picture nominee.

The first line of “The Imitation Game” is a question directed toward the audience: “Are you listening?” And, from start to finish, this is a story worth being heard.