Made in Hungary – Radioactive

Marie Curie is a well-known name all around the world. Her researches both in physics and chemistry earned her Nobel Prizes. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris. The biographical drama film called, (directed by Marjane Satrapi, starring Rosamund Pike) Radioactive (2019) is about Marie and her life. The movie was filmed in Hungary, especially in Budapest and Esztergom.

In 1934, Marie Curie collapses in her laboratory in Paris. As she is rushed to the hospital, she remembers her life. In 1893 she was frequently rejected for funding due to her gender but entered a partnership with Pierre Curie (Sam Riley). After Marie discovered polonium and radium, the two fell in love and got married, having two children. Soon, Marie announces the discovery of radioactivity, revolutionizing physics and chemistry. Radium is soon used in a series of commercial products. Pierre takes Marie to a seance where radium is used to attempt to contact the dead, but Marie disapproves of spiritualism and the idea of an afterlife after the death of her mother in Poland.

Filming started in February 2018 and the crew came immediately to Hungary. There are many street scenes, where a viewer can quickly see that Budapest plays Paris fantastically. The structure of the buildings and the streets are fairly similar to the French capital. The shooting was not only done in Budapest, but in Esztergom as well. Nature scenes, where Marie and Pierre are riding on the bicycle are in the Esztergom area. Some Hungarian actors also show up in the movie. Dóra Köves, as Pierre’s mother, and Péter Fancsikai, as Henrik. Even though not credited, Ferenc Iván Szabó, Franciska Törőcsik, and Balázs Veres were also in the movie.