Virginia Film Festival

Golden Bear (Best Film) Winner | Berlin International Film Festival

In the heart of Paris, atop a floating structure on the River Seine, sits The Adamant. The facility is a unique day-care center welcoming adults suffering from mental disorders, where the care team tries to resist the dehumanization of psychiatry. They offer the kind of care that grounds suffering patients in reality and helps them recover with respect and encouragement. Some patients visit daily; others come from time to time, and all range in age and social background.

Highly-regarded documentarian Nicolas Philibert (To Be and To Have) takes a delicate approach by extending his observation period to build genuine trust with those he interviews. With its non-intrusive approach, the documentary expresses a genuine interest in all that encompasses the community. This gentle, enlightening film invites viewers into the welcoming microcosm of The Adamant and allows its subjects to reveal themselves on their own terms.