This true story revolutionized the world of medicine: after Oppenheimer, nuclear energy was at the heart of the Vincha Curie case.

A medical drama in the midst of the Cold War

October 1958, in the middle of the Cold War. Professor Mate (Alexis Manenti) finds himself responsible for the medical monitoring of unusual patients: four Yugoslav scientists who have been seriously irradiated during a mysterious experiment, the nature of which they refuse to reveal.

Condemned to an inevitable and painful death, they will fight for their lives with the support of Professor Matthew and his teams. Will they find a way to stop the disease and escape their fate?

A very real story at the heart of this hopeful humanistic tale

Little known to the general public today, the story of Professor Mate and his four Yugoslavian patients is nevertheless very real: if he was not awarded the Nobel Prize for his work due to the particularly problematic context of the Cold War, the scientist’s experiments changed the modern one. Medicine forever.

Because if the case register of vincha curia Oscillating between the codes of historical film noir and a military espionage story, it leads to several sequences of tension, both oppressive and perfectly orchestrated by director Dragan Bjelogrlic. The film finds full meaning, shows hope and light from the unprecedented human cooperation it manages to capture.

As stern as he is unremarkable, meticulous Professor Mate nevertheless appears at first to be an almost unsympathetic figure.

“It’s quite a sacrificial journey when you’re an explorer.explain Alexis Manentwho plays the role of a scientist. We are often very lonely. They are people who live in another world. Like some musicians can be and who sacrifice their family life and can appear cold. This complicates the character and makes him a hero that we rarely see in cinema, a little far from the stereotypes of the empathetic, generous and perfect hero.“

Originally from Serbia (former Yugoslavia), on his mother’s side, he was awarded a César for his breakthrough role in Les Miserables. trajectory and we find him to be quite an unsympathetic person from the start.

” He has an almost anti-communist attitude when he talks because we’re in the Cold War when he treats these young Yugoslavs. One might question, was this character creating experiments, or was he really there to heal these people?Inspired by his younger brother, a cardiologist, the actor delivers a meticulous performance and allows his character to gradually open up to reveal a deeper humanity.

Actors Alisa Radaković, Jovan Jovanović and Ognien Michović, in their roles as convicts with only hope, manage to convey the fragility of their characters and the bonds these young Yugoslavs quickly form with their host land.

An authoritarian and secretive figure, Professor Popovich arrives to shut down the quartet and take responsibility for the experiment that almost cost them their lives. A sort of adversary to Professor Mathieu, as lonely and mysterious as his French counterpart, this fascinating character is played by Radivoi “Rasha” Bukvich, who was nominated for a César in 2007 for his performance in California.

On the French side, viewers will be able to find Lionel Abelansky (Train de vie, Nationale 7, The Victory of Les Petites) in the role of Dr. Jaime – director of the Curie hospital – Jeremy Lahorte (unforgettable in La Vie d’Adèle). and Paris Police 1905) as Professor Mathieu’s assistant, or even Anna Serra (Antigang) as a charming volunteer whose joy in life is matched only by her desire to help her neighbor.

Beyond nationality, borders and political allegiances, Professor Mathew’s sense of duty and determination seem to be the best tools to save his patients. Will he succeed? Answer in Vincha Curie case, June 5 in the cinema.