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.[4][5] It premiered on 22 May 2023 at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. It was distributed in France on 1 November 2023.

Marguerite's Theorem
Theatrical release poster
FrenchLe Théorème de Marguerite
Directed byAnna Novion
Written by
  • Anna Novion
  • Mathieu Robin
  • Marie-Stéphane Imbert
  • Agnès Feuvre
Produced by
  • Miléna Poylo
  • Gilles Sacuto
Starring
CinematographyJacques Girault
Edited byAnne Souriau
Music byPascal Bideau
Production
companies
Distributed byPyramide
Release dates
  • 22 May 2023 (2023-05-22) (Cannes)
  • 1 November 2023 (2023-11-01) (France)
Running time
112 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Switzerland
LanguageFrench
Budget
  • 2.870.000[1]
  • (est.) $3.2 million
  • €2.9 million[2]
  • (est.) $3.4 million
Box office

Synopsis

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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, wipes out the past. She then dives into the real world, discovers autonomy, befriends the young Noa, and makes love for the first time. Grown by her experiences, it is in this new momentum that she will find a correct proof of her theorem.

Production

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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.[6]

Cast

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  • Ella Rumpf as Marguerite Hoffmann
  • Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Laurent Werner, her thesis director
  • 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

Release

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Marguerite's Theorem was selected to be screened in the Special Screenings section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival,[7] where it had its world premiere on 22 May 2023.[8]

The film was theatrically released in France by Pyramide on 1 November 2023.[9][10]

Reception

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Box office

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Marguerite's Theorem grossed $0 in North America[10] and $1.2 million in other countries,[3] against a production budget of about $3.2-3.4 million.[1][2]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 57% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10.[11]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
César Awards 23 February 2024 Best Female Revelation Ella Rumpf Won [12]
Best Male Revelation Julien Frison Nominated
Lumière Awards 22 January 2024 Best Female Revelation Ella Rumpf Won [13]
Paris Film Critics Association Awards 4 February 2024 Best Female Revelation Won [14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Le Théorème de Marguerite (ex Un pas de côté)". Scriptoclap (in French).
  2. ^ a b "Le Théorème de Marguerite - J-P Box Office". Jpbox-office.com (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Marguerite's Theorem (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. ^ "'Marguerite's Theorem' Review: A Bizarrely By-the-Numbers Fiction About the Gift/Curse of Math Genius". Variety. 15 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Pyramide adds 'Le Théorème de Marguerite' with Ella Rumpf, legal drama 'Sur La Branche' to EFM slate (exclusive)". Screen Daily.
  6. ^ Barbat, Isaac (2 November 2023). "Le Théorème de Marguerite : présenté à Cannes, ce film a permis à la science de progresser !". AlloCiné. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  7. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (25 April 2023). "13 new titles added to Cannes' Official Selection". Cineuropa. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  8. ^ mraultpauillac (10 May 2023). "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Le théorème de Marguerite". distrib.pyramidefilms.com. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Le théorème de Marguerite (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Marguerite's Theorem". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 21 September 2024.  
  12. ^ Barat, Mathilde (23 February 2024). "César 2024: Anatomie d'une chute sacré meilleur film. Le palmarès complet de la 49e cérémonie". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  13. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (22 January 2024). "'Anatomy of a Fall' Wins Best Film, Actress, Screenplay at France's Lumiere Awards". Variety. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  14. ^ Mézière, Sandra (5 February 2024). "Palmarès des Paris Film Critics Awards 2024". In the Mood for Cinema (in French).
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