Review by John P. Harvey.

Marguerite (Ella Rumpf) has had a passion since the age of 11 to prove the truth of a conjecture that mathematicians have been trying to prove ever since Christian Goldbach first expressed it in 1742.  The mathematical conjecture that she wishes to prove is simple and plausible.  It is that every even number greater than two is the sum of two prime numbers: numbers divisible only by themselves and one.  Though mathematicians have earned fame (if not fortune) on the basis of getting somewhere with it, no convincing proof has emerged in 280 years.  But Marguerite may be on to a method.

Though such a setup may hint at a movie about mathematics, in fact Marguerite’s Theorem focuses on human relationships and trust.

Marguerite’s PhD candidacy under the supervision of mathematics professor Laurent Werner (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) is leaving her feeling unsafe.  She is developing her own methods of attacking the problem of proving Goldbach’s conjecture, but Werner is himself hoping to prove the conjecture, and the feedback that she relies on Werner to provide is absent.  He is simply too busy to give her proper supervision — especially once he takes on a second PhD student, Lucas (Julien Frison), studying the same problem as Marguerite.  Can she and Lucas possibly work together?

Her crumbling confidence in herself, in Werner’s supervision, and in the integrity of mathematicians who might be in a position to steal her work affects Marguerite’s relationship with Werner.  But Lucas may well turn out to complement her own mathematical skills.  Could Lucas be the teammate she needs?

Despite her uncertainties, the remarkable use of her highly trained mind in managing her daily life makes Marguerite a most interesting protagonist and one to whom others relate in unusual ways.

What it is that chiefly makes Marguerite’s Theorem a movie to remember, aside from some remarkable scenes of mathematical work, is Marguerite’s quiet intensity and the sympathy we can feel for her despite the alienness to most of us of her adopted culture of higher mathematics.  The acting throughout is superb, the story remarkably engaging, the dialogue fresh and interesting.  But the movie’s major surprise may be how relatable it makes the world of mathematics to the non-mathematician.

Screening at Palace cinemas.