Documentarian Nicolas Philibert turned his camera on a Parisian mental health facility to capture an alternative way to treat those in need.
Philibert’s “On the Adamant,” named for the institution the Adamant, which the film focuses on, won the 2023 Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. The Adamant is a floating center on the Seine River in the heart of Paris, and offers day programs for adults with mental illnesses; the purpose of the center is to pair therapy and education with art and culture to assist clients in their recovery processes. The documentary tells the story of how art serves as a therapy tool for people affected by mental illness.
“On the Adamant” was nominated for a European Film Award and a César Award for Best Documentary. The film will premiere in New York at the Film at Lincoln Center’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema festival on March 4, and will later open theatrically courtesy of distributor Kino Lorber at the IFC Center March 29. The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) will also present a special retrospective of Philibert’s filmography throughout March. Titled “A Tender Lens,” the exhibit charts Philibert’s fascination with spaces only occupied by a select few, whether low-income schoolhouses, the unspoken world of deafness, psychiatric facilities, an empty Louvre, or even captive animals.
“On the Adamant” is not Philibert’s first foray into the realm of mental health care: The filmmaker directed the 1996 documentary “Every Little Thing,” which showcased an annual play staged by patients at a French psychiatric facility.
As to be revisited in the FIAF retrospective, Philibert’s career reached an international level with “To Be and to Have” about an Auvergne schoolhouse. His feature “In the Land of the Deaf” captures the day-to-day practices of deaf people. Philibert’s “Back to Normandy” (2007), “La Maison de la Radio” (2013), and “Each and Every Moment” (2018) were all nominated for César Awards for Best Documentary Feature along with “On the Adamant.”
“On the Adamant” premieres March 29 at the IFC Center in New York City from Kino Lorber. Check out the trailer below.
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