À ciel ouvert

Le Courtil, a farm in France. The children housed here are all physically or socially impaired and require special needs care. Evanne, for example, lives in a world of his own, a place that appears to be completely unreachable from the outside. He is usually highly excessive when expressing happiness. Logan was not ‘crazy’ enough to be hospitalised and once went to a normal school – until he harmed himself. Although far too small for his age, he fears nothing. The adults who live and work together with the children here encourage the greatest possible freedom, imposing as few rules as possible. They attempt to deal with the their little patient’s idiosyncrasies and find individual approaches to therapy. Filmmaker Mariana Otero’s camera is in the thick of it, focusing both on the children and their carers, as they deliberate and plan the next step. A ciel ouvert offers us profound and fascinating insight into an extraordinary working and living environment, within which time appears to play no role. (Zurich Film Festival)