Seed of Doubt: Noémie Merlant & Léa Drucker Topline Laura Wandel’s “L’intérêt d’Adam”

Among the most anticipated sophomore features we’ll already look forward to for the 2025 campaign received a Cannes blurb update in the Le film français with no fanfare from the major trades to follow. Originally slated for a shoot in the fall, Belgian filmmaker Laura Wandel‘s L’intérêt d’Adam (formerly titled Hors la loi) is set to move into production next month (July 29th) with two heavyweights in Noémie Merlant and Léa Drucker – we can already guess which part they’ll play with the synopsis below. The drama benefitted from the support from the La Résidence of the Festival de Cannes. Les Films de Pierre’s Marie-Ange Luciani, Dragons Films’ Stéphane Lhoest and Les Films du Fleuve’s Delphine Tomson. Wandel landed plenty of acclaim for her 2021 feature debut Playground, which was an Un Certain Regard selection and won the FIPRESCI Award. Our Nicholas Bell’s ★★★★ review “Playground packs an emotional wallop, ending perfectly with a bookend sequence where the intention of a hug provides a comfort and salvation reflecting a devastating but perfect exemplification of love and maturity for a young girl and her brother.” Here is the logline:

This follows four-year-old Adam who is suffering from malnutrition and has been taken to hospital following a court’s decision. Lucy, a pediatrics head nurse, authorizes Rebecca, Adam’s mother, to remain with her son despite visiting times having been strictly limited by the judge. When Rebecca stubbornly refuses to leave Adam, the situation becomes complicated. For the child’s sake, Lucy will do all she can to help this mother in distress…..