MATHEMATICS AND CINEMA THROUGHOUT 25 YEARS: SOME INTERPRETATIONS

Abstract

The paper consists of a qualitative research that aims to analyze cinematographic works that explore Mathematics in their plots. To do so, we sought to understand the origin and development of media as information technology tools, in order to trace back the establishment of cinema as a storytelling mechanism – also recognizing its functionalities. After refined searches on the internet, we found 23 movies that feature scientists’ concepts and/or stories in the realm of Mathematics, released in a 25-year interval (between 1997 and 2021). These movies were viewed, classified and analyzed according to three categories: Mathematics as background; Mathematics as a narrative tool; and mathematicians. The analysis brings a variety of mathematical approaches and references, and, as a result, we concluded that watching fictional stories, as well as those based on real events, can help us to better understand who the mathematical revolutionaries portrayed were and/or how Mathematics can interconnect with the cinematoghapic art, building engaging narratives while also demonstrating the versatility of this area of knowledge.