Marguerite's Theorem

Marguerite's Theorem (French:Le Théorème de Marguerite) is 2023 French-Swiss drama film co-written and directed by Anna Novion[fr]. It is about a female mathematics student at ENS whose career is upended when an error is discovered in her work. It premiered on 22 May 2023 at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. It was distributed in France on 1 November 2023.

Synopsis

Marguerite is a young and brilliant mathematician, the only girl in her class at the ENS, entirely devoted to her passion. The day an error is discovered in her thesis, she is devastated. In a dizzy spell, she leaves the school, wiping out the past. She then dives into the real world, discovers autonomy, befriends the young Noa, and has sex for the first time. Matured by her experiences, it is in this new momentum that she manages to find a correct proof of her theorem.

Cast

• Ella Rumpf as Marguerite Hoffmann
• Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Laurent Werner, her thesis advisor
• Clotilde Courau as Suzanne
• Julien Frison[fr] as Lucas Savelli
• Sonia Bonny as Noa
• Cheng Xiaoxing (credited Maurice Cheng) as Mr. Kong
• Idir Azougli as Yanis
• Camille de Sablet as the trainer
• Édouard Sulpice as a student
• Yun-Ping He as a mahjong opponent
• Karl Ruben Noel as the dancer
• Ava Baya as the dancer's girlfriend
• Gauthier Boxebeld as the manager
• Leila Muse as the journalist
• Esdras Registe as the colleague
• Dominique Ratonnat as the professor
• Capucine Chappey as Lucas's English-speaking friend

Production

To show mathematics realistically on the screen, Anna Novion worked with French mathematician Ariane Mézard, who provided all the equations written by the characters in the film, so that they are all authentic. Moreover, Mézard even made real progress on Goldbach's conjecture, the goal of Marguerite's work, for the film.

Release

Marguerite's Theorem was selected to be screened in the Special Screenings section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 22 May 2023.

The film was theatrically released in France by Pyramide on 1 November 2023.

Reception

Box office

Marguerite's Theorem grossed $0 in North America and $1.2 million in other countries, against a production budget of about $3.2-3.4 million.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 57% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10.

Accolades

External links

• atIMDb