The World on a Couch
It’s rare that a documentary has been able to get this close to what takes place on the psychiatrist’s couch. Having spent years building trust and thanks to the sobriety of a field/counter-field method using two cameras, Swen de Pauw reveals the humanity and the exceptional nature of the relationship Georges Federmann weaves with his patients, the gradual building up of trust by this generous psychiatrist who’s also committed to social work and migrants’ wellbeing. At times, we hear noise from the waiting room that’s always open, without appointments and offering somewhere to go for those who can’t sleep. We also see patients who write their own drug prescriptions. Psychiatric care that’s aware of its power relations and political dimension makes it possible to listen to people’s suffering and, while it can’t make it disappear, can alleviate it. A cinematic, human and clinical success story!
Éva Tourrent
Tënk's Artistic Director
It’s rare that a documentary has been able to get this close to what takes place on the psychiatrist’s couch. Having spent years building trust and thanks to the sobriety of a field/counter-field method using two cameras, Swen de Pauw reveals the humanity and the exceptional nature of the relationship Georges Federmann weaves with his patients, the gradual building up of trust by this generous psychiatrist who’s also committed to social work and migrants’ wellbeing. At times, we hear noise from the waiting room that’s always open, without appointments and offering somewhere to go for those who can’t sleep. We also see patients who write their own drug prescriptions. Psychiatric care that’s aware of its power relations and political dimension makes it possible to listen to people’s suffering and, while it can’t make it disappear, can alleviate it. A cinematic, human and clinical success story!
Éva Tourrent
Tënk's Artistic Director
