Nicholas Philibert , whose film On the Adamant won the Golden Bear at the 73rd Berlinale on Saturday, has made a lifetime commitment to observational documentary, moving between interviews and long, patient takes of his subjects pursuing what it is that they do. The best known of these is Etre et Avoir (2002), which followed a year in the life of a tiny rural school where the single teacher – kindly but exacting, in the French manner – taught several grades at once. Thanks to the magnetism of this committed teacher – and of his delightful enfants , of course – Etre et Avoir became an unlikely but enduring arthouse hit. Philibert has also cast his watchful eye over nurses in training, a day in the life of a radio station and a night in an urban menagerie. He never appears himself, as far as I remember – though, given that he has been ploughing this furrow since 1978, this isn’t a reliable recollection – but his presence is palpable as a guiding sensibility. These … [Read more...] about ‘On The Adamant’ Review: Nicholas Philibert’s Berlin-Winning Documentary