Averroès and Rosa Parks: Philibert brilliantly continues his journey in psychiatry (criticism)
After Sur l'Adamant, Ours d'Or last year, a new documentary with stunning humanity
When one film calls for another… and even two (The Typewriter which will be released on April 17). By reconnecting, twenty-five years later The least of itwith the theme of psychiatry with On the Adamant, Golden Bear in Berlin last year, Nicolas Philibert had probably not anticipated that he would not stop there, that he had pulled a thread that would push him to go meet elsewhere than on this barge, offering a care environment and cultural workshops for patients suffering from mental illness. More precisely to Averroès and Rosa Parks – who give its title to his new documentary -, two units of the Esquirol hospital (also belonging to the Paris-Centre psychiatric center). And once again the result impresses with Philibert's incredible ability to capture (always without voice-over or commentary) incredibly intimate moments without turning his spectators into voyeurs. Always at a safe distance so as not to be intrusive but refusing to look away even when the exchanges between patients and caregivers change in an instant from apparent normality to harsh madness, the result of paranoia as dangerous for the patients as for those around them. . Crossed by the same humanity as On the Adamantpopulated with breaths allowing us to absorb and digest the heartbreaking moments that populate it, Averroes and Rosa Parks is first and foremost a tribute to caregivers, to their ability to listen, to their gift of themselves, and to that soothing smile that never leaves them, even in the most critical situations.
By Nicolas Philibert. Documentary. Duration: 2h23. Released March 20, 2024
