On the Adamant
FRANCE/JAPAN 2023 | French (subtitled) | 109 minutes
Content advisory: themes of mental distress
On the Adamant follows the lives of psychiatric patients, medical professionals, and staff who find community through arts programming on a floating structure on Paris’ iconic River Seine. Winner of the Golden Berlin Bear Award for Best Film at Berlinale 2023, this extensive look at alternative methods of counselling and therapy humanizes a marginalized and often misinterpreted group: those living with mental health issues. The film takes us through the daily routines and life aboard the Adamant through art classes, discussions of personal experiences, and performances by the patients.
Your Film Club picked this documentary because of its ability to give voice to those struggling with mental health. Lauded by critics, it is an intriguing, in-depth look at the important relationship between mental health and the arts.
Tags: documentary, uplifting, social awareness, critically acclaimed, award-winning