L'intérêt d'Adam (In Adam's Interest)

For her second feature, Belgian filmmaker Laura Wandel once again immerses herself in the world of children. This time, she trades the charged schoolyard setting of Playground (Un monde, FFG2021) for an understaffed pediatric ward. There, dedicated nurse Lucy and young mother Rebecca find common ground in their struggle to be heard within an overstretched healthcare system. Lucy is responsible for four-year-old Adam, Rebecca’s son, who is admitted with severe malnutrition. Wandel anchors all the action in a single location—the hospital—where many lives intersect in their plea for help. The overwhelming workload, emblematic of an underfunded system, is powerfully conveyed through handheld camerawork that stays unnervingly close to the characters. L’intérêt d’Adam reflects the humanist gaze reminiscent of the Dardenne brothers’ cinema—who also serve here as producers.