December 1936, Mermoz disappears in the South Atlantic with the seaplane the South Cross. Accident or assassination ? Few months ago, he joined in the nationalist movement of colonel De la Roque, « les Croix de Feu », which fight the Popular Front. After the victory of the Front in June 36, the popularity of the airman become troublesome…
This movie scenario traces the last year of the life of the aviator Jean Mermoz, from the disappearance of the "City of Buenos-Aires" in the South Atlantic, February 10, 1936 to that of the "South Cross", the following December 7.
Mermoz, as inspector of the France-South America line, conduct the investigation after the loss of the first seaplane and Collenot death, the mechanic who had saved his life many times.
1936 was also a turbulent political year in Europe: the Popular Front win the elections in France, Spain enter the civil war, Italy fall into fascism and Hitler impose Nazism in Germany. By his political activity alongside the Colonel De la Roque, Mermoz become, during the summer of 1936, an undesirable. The Blum government would not see its disappearance as a disaster, unlike the French who continue to idolize it.
At the same time, The Mermoz’s stubbornness in maintaining the Aeropostale line of Latin America, supported by Saint-Exupéry, Guillaumet and many others, hamper the plans of Air France, a private company owned by the Banque d'Indochine and the Suez Canal.
In this climate of fierce opposition, Mermoz’s investigation resembles a last-ditch battle for a defeated army. Only a few manufacturers like Latécoère or Couzinet support it. Little by little, Mermoz feels that he did not choose the right side, his friends propose him to give up politics and continue the adventure in Brazil.
But, December 7, 1936, his seaplane crashed into the waves of the “Pot au noir”.
(150 min for cinema or 2x90 min for television)