French actress Camille Cottin delivers a powerful performance as a nuclear engineer experiencing a profound moral awakening in "Rembrandt," the latest film from acclaimed director Pierre Schoeller. The thriller, which hits theaters on September 24, 2025, marks a significant return for Schoeller, known for his politically engaged cinema including "The Minister" (2011) and "One Nation, One King" (2018).
The film follows Claire and Yves, a happy and harmonious couple who are both physicists working in key positions within France's sensitive nuclear energy sector. Their friends also work in the nuclear industry and avoid asking too many questions about what they consider the only satisfactory alternative to fossil fuels. During a family trip to London to celebrate their daughter's birthday, Claire and Yves visit the National Gallery, where Claire experiences a sudden emotional shock while viewing three works by Rembrandt. This encounter fundamentally changes the trajectory of her life.
In this unexpected narrative, Schoeller tackles France's untouchable industry: nuclear power. The awakening of conscience arrives like a revelation that penetrates Claire's character, who until then had been steadfast in her conviction about the legitimacy of her work. It is through witnessing the expression of suffering in Rembrandt's captured figures that this rational physicist begins to understand the true stakes of nuclear energy.
Claire becomes obsessed with the concept of "black swan" events - phenomena with extremely low probability of occurrence but unthinkable consequences if they do happen. She specifically focuses on the possibility of rogue waves, sudden and exceptionally high waves near nuclear power plants. To demonstrate to her professional circle that nuclear energy production will likely lead to future catastrophes, she enlists a climatologist to support her research.
However, Claire encounters deaf ears from her husband, colleagues, and friends, along with outright hostility from her superiors. Isolated and increasingly disconnected from reality, she abandons her former life and gradually loses her grip on sanity. Camille Cottin masterfully portrays this woman in the throes of a conscience crisis, pushed to the brink of madness.
The film features a prestigious cast supporting Cottin's central performance. Romain Duris plays the husband overwhelmed by unfolding events, while Bruno Podalydès embodies the only character willing to open his eyes to the truth. Denis Podalydès takes on the role of an emblematic figure of the old world - a perfect specimen of a generation practicing ostrich politics, entrenched in dogmatic positions and incapable of lifting their heads from the sand to face reality. During a friendly dinner conversation, his character casually states, "This might surprise you, but living in Fukushima is safer than living in Roubaix."
Schoeller's film is meticulously documented, supported by figures and charts that leave audiences intellectually overwhelmed but thoroughly convinced. The subject matter is extensively researched and presented with scientific rigor. However, the film's determination to prove its point sometimes becomes its weakness, as it gets bogged down in artificial fictional dramaturgy that feels forced and heavy-handed, almost grafted onto the discourse.
The movie ultimately leaves an impression almost contrary to the promise evoked at the story's opening - namely, the evocative power of art to awaken consciences under Rembrandt's influence. While the film succeeds in presenting a compelling argument about nuclear energy risks, its dramatic execution doesn't quite match the artistic inspiration that supposedly triggers Claire's transformation.
"Rembrandt" is a French-Belgian production running 1 hour and 47 minutes, distributed by Zinc Film. The drama-thriller also features Céleste Brunnquell in the cast. Despite its narrative shortcomings, the film stands as a bold attempt to address one of France's most sensitive industrial topics through the lens of personal moral awakening.
