The protagonists in this film are the patients and staff at the La Borde psychiatric institute in France. Each summer they perform a play on a stage set in the beautiful grounds of the chateau. The film charts the passage of this magical event and allows the viewer a glimpse at life in one of the world's most highly regarded psychiatric institutions.
Philibert, director of the hugely-acclaimed Etre et avoir and In the Land of the Deaf, calmly and compassionately builds an experience that is less like watching a documentary than like being enveloped in a book of breathlessly honest poetry. He delicately celebrates the work of La Borde and quietly makes us question the distinctions that society applies in classifying as normal or abnormal.
Special Features
• Newly filmed introduction by critic/writer Geoff Andrew.
• New digital transfer approved by the Director.
• Anamorphic 16:9 enhanced for widescreen televisions.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Booklet features interview with Nicolas Philibert .
