La Madone de Laroque : le mystérieux tableau de Léonard de Vinci

"The Madonna of Laroque" tells the story of three men and a mysterious painting. It all begins in the Cévennes region, where three friends live: Guy Fadat, a special needs educator; François Leclerc, a cabinetmaker; and Jacques Proust, a retiree. They are united by a common passion: China. They each hunted for antiques on their own until the day they decided to become virtual partners: "for the pleasure of not being alone when discovering an object," comments Jacques Proust. Two months after this decision to share purchases and any profits, a discovery would change the course of their lives. One Saturday in October 1998, returning empty-handed from a regional flea market, they stopped at the consignment shop in the village of Laroque. A painting in very poor condition, intrigues them. They took it down, turned it over, and the wooden support aroused the curiosity of François, the cabinetmaker. After some thought, they decided to buy it, haggling over the price, especially since it was Chinese. From 1,900 francs, the painting went down to 1,500; the deal was done. Back in the old watermill where Jacques lives, they carefully cleaned it. They then found themselves in front of a Renaissance-style Madonna with two children in her arms, one of whom, Jesus, is suckling at the Virgin's breast. Their neighbor immediately mentioned Leonardo da Vinci: "We heard it, it seemed a bit outrageous, but from there, we started researching," they commented. Without really imagining it, a veritable hurdle race began. Above all, they wanted to avoid being devoured by the art market and decided to interview Leonardo da Vinci specialists in the world's greatest museums, with photos and questions to back them up. To their great surprise, the curators responded; each of them mentioned one or another of the Master's students. As the months went by, the favorable clues accumulated, and little by little, the Madonna completely invaded their lives: "We have this painting constantly in our heads, it's almost obsessive." By superimposing slides of other Leonardo works onto the details of their painting, comparing them, and studying them under magnification on the computer, they became specialists in their canvas mounted on wood. Against all odds, the three friends continued their investigation, at the risk of appearing stubborn! "It's true that people sometimes take us for lunatics, but that's normal, because it seems incredible to find a Leonardo da Vinci in the Cévennes, but we're not that far from Italy..." François explains. Today, the dream continues. A dream that belongs to them, but is also universal: it's the quest for the Grail, the discovery of a treasure, a story to be told at the wake. Director: Guy Brousmiche