On the Adamant

The ritual of the Monday meeting, called ‘Mondispensable’, the creative workshops where patients have the freedom to express their feelings if they wish or keep silent if they prefer, the words of some of them, who, facing the camera, recount their past and present experiences, their obsessions, their fears... With every moment focused on his characters and a constant concern to let them express themselves without interrupting them, Nicolas Philibert invites us to get a better understanding of the land of mental illness, whose mysteries, disturbing beauty and poetry he films. Without ever falling into the traps of didacticism or visual theory, Sur l'Adamant (On the Adamant) shows what psychiatry could and should be today. ‘This world is increasingly left to its own devices,’ says Nicolas Philibert. ‘It is a profession that has been devalued, that is on its last legs and that is suffering from a lack of beds, resources and staff. In this bleak context, the Adamant is an exception and a centre of resistance. It is a special place and attractive for both patients and carers, there should be more places like this’. (Olivier De Bruyn; Les Echos)�