The first thing you notice about the Adamant is that it’s absolutely beautiful — not just for a psychiatric facility, which tend to resemble prisons or kennels, but for a building of any kind. A floating barge moored on the right bank of the Seine (where it’s surrounded by a labyrinth of unfeeling concrete towers), this self-contained wing of the Paris Central Psychiatric Group sticks out of the landscape like an antique cabinet that was accidentally dropped into the middle of an Ikea showroom; it’s hard to shake the feeling that someone might notice the error and scoop the whole thing right out of the water at any moment.

And yet the barge’s oak brown wooden slats continue to creak…

The surprise winner of Golden Bear this year, On the Adamant is humane, sympathetic, but also convoluted and dull. It shines a light on the beautiful artistic circle of the mentally disturbed in Paris, who all find a safe haven on the Adamant, a psychiatric center floating on the Seine River that caters to their spiritual needs.

Comprising interviews and daily activities of those with mental disorders, On the Adamant is an unembellished look at a group of individuals whose existence barely registers in the public's eyes. Despite their respective difficulty with mental health, everyone showcases who they are, or what they represent in a tiny yet intimate space where no outside discrimination is allowed and communication is severely encouraged.…

"To all of the brilliant minds who have given this topic [of art] a crack, I think that, for all of us, you just know it when you see it. This film, this movie that we saw, it puts thought and feeling and sound and picture to these questions on a deep level; on a humanist level that really cut into all of us on the jury. It's cinematic proof of the vital necessity of human expression, and it's also masterfully crafted. We've been asking ourselves all week what makes a movie a movie, and these invisible parameters set forth by industry and academia don't stand a chance with this film, or movie, or whatever you want to call it.…

2nd Nicolas Philibert (after Être et avoir)

A documentary that gets by on a lot of good will thanks to its humane and compassionate representation of the mentally ill and disabled. Depicting the goings-on in the titular floating day-care centre, Philibert’s eye for tiny human details is on full display. The little interactions between the therapeutic staff and patients are warm and respectful with not a hint of condescension. The interviews are equally gentle and unobtrusive, Philibert allowing the patients to wander through the frame and ask him questions in a manner that breaks down the barrier between subject and objective filmmaker. Some fascinating insights emerge from these moments, especially the very positive attitude a number of the patients have…