Adam's Sake
In this immersive hospital drama, a compassionate nurse struggles with the case of a severely malnourished young boy.
Adam won’t eat. And as we all well know, there is no life without sustenance. When the feeding tube, inserted to relieve his malnutrition, is removed, Adam will only eat when his mother, Rebecca (Anamaria Vartolomei) is present.
The mother’s access to the hospital is determined by her parole officer, whose stance is influenced by the hospital staff in addition to the mother and child. Experienced nurse Lucy (Léa Drucker) takes charge of the situation.
The film casts the viewer in the role of an onlooking expert by experience. What kind of power is wielded by those with the authority and agenda to control other’s lives, for good or for evil?
Director Laura Wandel caught critics’ attention with her debut Playground (R&A 2022), which brought her the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes. Adam’s Sake, which premiered at Cannes in the Semaine de la Critique section, continues to delve into the themes of childhood and care with a well-established, socially conscious touch.
The topics gracefully handled by this film are often difficult to even talk about, let alone tackle cinematically. How do you know what’s right? What makes someone a good person? The answer is highlighted by the hospital scenery in its shades of blue and gray.
Sonja Löfström (translated by Adrian Murtomäki)