Sur l'Adamant
In his new documentary, Nicolas Philibert (Être Et Avoir) follows several psychiatric patients on a ship converted into a care facility in Paris. Winner of the Golden Bear in Berlin.
SUR L’ADAMANT is a deeply empathetic portrait of regular visitors and staff at The Adamant, a psychiatric day-care centre in Paris. Out-patients at this centre with a homey atmosphere floating on the River Seine will always find a listening ear, and all sorts of activities to take part in – from cooking and talking about football, to drawing and playing music.
In this patient observational film, we gradually come to learn more about these people, their often utterly unique quirks, and their levelheadedness. And sometimes we see the world through their eyes.
SUR L' ADAMANT won the festival’s top prize, the Golden Bear, at the Berlin Film Festival. It is rare for that prize to be awarded to a documentary. The director was deeply moved by the jury’s decision. ‘I tried to reverse the discriminatory image we often have of crazy people,’ Philibert said after receiving the award. ‘Even if we cannot identify with them, I want us to be able to at least recognise what connects us.’