''150 Milligrams'' (, ''lit.'' The Girl of Brest) is a 2016 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Emmanuelle Bercot Emmanuelle Bercot is a French actress, film director, and screenwriter. Career Filmmaking Bercot wrote, directed, and played a lead role in the film '' Clément'', which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film ...

. It was screened in the Special Presentations section at the

2016 Toronto International Film Festival The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown. Awards The festival's final awards were ...

. The film is based on the true story of French pulmonologist , who became noted for her investigations of the serious side effects and deaths attributed to the diabetes drug

Mediator Mediation is a structured, voluntary process for resolving disputes, facilitated by a neutral third party known as the mediator. It is a structured, interactive process where an independent third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties ...

, produced by French manufacturer

Laboratoires Servier Servier Laboratories (French: Laboratoires Servier, often abbreviated to Servier) is an international pharmaceutical company governed by a non-profit foundation, with its headquarters in France (Suresnes). The consolidated turnover for the 2018 ...

Plot

Sidse Babett Knudsen portrays real-life whistleblower Dr. Irene Frachon, a specialist in pulmonology. The story is set in the university hospital in Brest, Northern France. The film opens with doctors performing open-heart surgery. Dr. Irene observes that the heart valves of a patient, Corinne Zacharria, appear severely damaged. This condition has been detected in multiple patients, all of whom consumed Mediator, a drug manufactured by the French pharmaceutical firm Servier, intended for diabetes treatment and weight loss. Dr. Irene believes Mediator is causing the pathology. To confirm this, she requires evidence from a proper epidemiological study. Several of her colleagues collaborate on this, but the contribution of research scientist Dr. Antoine Le Bihan is especially significant. Their research findings strongly support Irene's hypothesis. However, when presenting their findings to AFSSAPS, the French regulatory agency for health products, their research is intensely scrutinized by Servier's representatives, and they're unsuccessful in getting Mediator removed from the market. Despite feeling disheartened, Irene continues her fight, getting support from various individuals. She self-publishes a book on their research, with Servier attempting to halt its publication. Irene gets support from her family, a reporter from Le Figaro, Anne Jouan, an AFSSAPS member, Catherine Haynes, and an informant from CNAM, the national health insurance fund. The investigation reveals around 500 deaths connected to the drug, predominantly women.

Cast

Sidse Babett Knudsen Sidse Babett Knudsen (; born 22 November 1968) is a Danish actress who works in theatre, television, and film. Knudsen made her screen debut in the 1997 improvisational comedy '' Let's Get Lost'', for which she received both the Robert and Bodil ...

as *

Benoît Magimel Benoît Magimel (; born 11 May 1974) is a French actor. He was 14 when he appeared in his first film, and has starred in a variety of roles in French cinema. At age 16, Magimel left school to pursue acting as a career. In 2001, he won the Best A ...

as Antoine Le Bihan * Charlotte Laemmel as Patoche * Lara Neumann as Anne Jouan * as Aubert * as Bruno Frachon * Olivier Pasquier as Arsène Weber *

Isabelle de Hertogh Isabelle de Hertogh (born 1972) is a Belgian actress. Debut She was a student at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (, ) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, ...

as Corinne Zacharria *

Gustave Kervern Gustave Kervern (born 27 August 1962), also known as Gustave de Kervern and Gustave K/Vern, is a French actor, director and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaboration with Benoît Delépine. Life and career In 1999, he joined his frie ...

as Kermarec *

Pablo Pauly Pablo Pauly (born 24 January 1991) is a French actor. Theater Filmography References External links * 1991 births Living people French male film actors {{France-screen-actor-stub ...

as Charles-Joseph Oudin * Myriam Azencot as Catherine Haynes * Eddie Chignara as Christophe Laugier * Raphaël Ferret as Fred * Christophe Meynet as David * as Yannick Jobic *

Élise Lucet Élise Lucet (; born 30 May 1963) is a French journalist and television host. Known for her investigative journalism work on France Télévisions shows such as '' Pièces à Conviction'', '' Cash Investigation'' and '' Envoyé spécial'', she ha ...

as herself

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

s Leslie Felperin cited the "outsize but empathic central performance" by star

in the role of Frachon and the director's ability to handle the film's "intellectually rigorous storytelling" and many characters.

Accolades

References

External links