On the Adamant

• Nicolas Philibert
• 109 min
• France, Japan
• 2023
• Documentary

Nicolas Philibert's equally sympathetic as empathetic portrait of a floating psychiatric day center in Paris, which surprisingly beat feature films in Berlin and won the Golden Bear.

In this film we meet visitors and staff at an unconventional French healthcare facility. It's housed in a large oval houseboat on the Seine River, but it's not the only thing that sets it apart. What's truly unusual for our time is the substantial investment made in tailoring the operation to the needs of its users. Adults with mental disabilities are met here not only by a dedicated staff with all the expertise and aptitude required but also with significant opportunities to actively shape the activities themselves. Philibert (To Be and to Have, Nénette) observes patiently, and the result is a warm and empathetic film that gets very up close and personal.

- Johan Blomqvist

• Prisbelönt
• Dokumentär
• Social utsatthet
• Samhälle