Adam's Sake

Lucie is head nurse on a hospital's paediatric ward. Four-year-old Adam is there with a broken arm caused by malnutrition, and a court has allowed his mother Rebecca to see him twice a day. Adam refuses to be separated from her. Lucie bends the rules and lets Rebecca stay on the ward. The decision helps the boy and puts Lucie against her institution; the ward is already short-staffed and every mistake will cost someone. This is Laura Wandel's second film. Before writing it she spent three weeks observing on a paediatric ward in Brussels. The narrative takes place almost entirely in corridors and rooms; the camera does not leave Lucie's shoulder and the running time is kept short. Léa Drucker plays Lucie and Anamaria Vartolomei plays Rebecca. The film opened Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025. Who it's for: Viewers who like Belgian and French drama, hospital narratives, and films about institutional helplessness. Who it's not for: The subject is child neglect and some scenes are hard to watch. The narrative also gives no side a way out.