The movie delves into the life of a mathematical genius and his life long struggle with Schizophrenia.
In this 2001 film, Russel Crowe plays John Nash, the brilliant asocial man who enters Princeton. He is obsessed with finding his own mathematical "original idea." Finally, he discovers his original idea at a local bar, based on a game theory where his classmates are trying to figure out how to best attract the attention of one particular girl. This game theory contradicted 150 years of accepted theories, gaining him a teaching position at MIT.
Alicia, played by Jennifer Connelly, is the student at MIT in John Nash's class, who invites him to dinner. She ultimately becomes the only real constant in Nash's life. The love John feels for Alicia is disturbing for him though as it can't be mathematically explained. The couple marry, but their relationship is a struggle as John's Schizophrenic behavior worsens over time.
Nash believing he was deciphering codes, spent relentless hours looking for patterns in newspapers and magazines to thwart a Soviet plot. A very shocking scene was when Alicia found her husband's secret cache of newspaper clippings in the shed behind their home.
John Nash's paranoid schizophrenic behavior was never cured, but with professional help and the support of his wife he was able to cope with his illness. Difficult for him (and viewers), was when he ultimately had to give up his best friends, who continued to vie for his attention, if only his mind; his beautiful, brilliant mind.