Saw this at the Movies That Matter 2024 filmfestival in The Hague. Insightful story about dilemma's faced by scientists, who want to forward not only science but also (and maybe foremost) their own careers, sometimes at the expense of everyone and everything. We see their interactions with politicians they need for their budget and to obtain material that is difficult to come by. Similarly, we see encounters with the secret service wanting to know all about their progress and what purpose it can serve, not always for the best of mankind, but they have leverage to get what they want to know, or to steer the project in the direction they prefer.
We see relevant issues in this context from two scientists, one behind the iron curtain and one on our side whose lives become entangled by (literally) accident. They both conclude that their encounter has a purpose. They delve deep in their motives and their conscience, equally relevant in both their respective research fields. In one of the final scenes we see a butterfly appear, not having a specific role, but carrying a hint towards us viewers that a minor flapping of a butterfly's wing can cause an avalanche or a tornado elsewhere in the world (butterfly and avalanche, both famous from chaos theory).
Neglecting family relationships is a particularly nasty habit of scientists. Our main protagonist even misses the birth of his first child. Later, when he is congratulated with the happy event, he does not even know whether it was a boy or a girl.
Even worse are their interactions with staff and others around. In contemporary terms: an unsafe work environment. With our 21st century eyes we consider their manners dubious, to say the least. We know that such norms have shifted considerably since 1958 but are also aware it still does not apply everywhere. An example from this film: firing someone in the middle of a crucial experiment when she did not address the project leader with his proper title, is not only counterproductive but is fatal in destroying a sound and safe work environment where every opinion and every employee counts.
All in all, an enlightening story in many aspects. The ancient environment anno 1958 seems to be rebuilt very well (I was 10 at the time, so my memory may fail on details). Strong and believable protagonists, each giving insight in what they want to achieve, though their ways of getting things done are not always the finest examples of pure science for the benefit of humanity. I scored a 5 out of 5 for the audience award when leaving the venue.
