Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND [Tribeca Film Festival 2025 - New York, NY]
The personification of what a spy should be or where the mask to identity lies in constructs of a certain fashion. With "Reflections In Dead Diamond" [International Narrative Competition], Directors/Spouses Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani play with genre while showing their love for the early Bond films and one of their offshoots. Forzani actually related in the Q&A that his favorite was "Never Say Never Again" which shot near where he grew up when he was a formative age. "Dead Diamond" follows a would-be spy John D. (Fabio Testi/Yannick Renier -- young/old). It is an interesting diatribe on existence. It knows the slickness it is making fun of but also the meta element it is engaging. The older John is stuck in the idea of those adventures and problems that came at him when he was young, especially those of a multi-faced female spy. That is why an older Bond perspective (like having Pierce Brosnan play an older Bond in a series on Amazon) makes a lot of sense. Reflection only happens in hindsight, not in the passion of the moment. Like Eva Green's character in "Casino Royale," it is about trust and agenda.
While there is at times a DIY feel to the film, other times it just hums with its own energy. Granted a lot of it is abstract and metaphorical, but some film festival entries are. As far as mainstream prospects, it has a good pitch but it falls a little outside the beaten path. Some of the stylistic choices at times though are brilliant, not so much in their slickness or sexuality but in their choice. At one point, it becomes (in a certain way like the recent Cannes entry "Sentimental Value") a perception of itself and how the line between real and imaginary is (another AI thought process as well). "Dead Diamond" is accessible in many ways though seems to end in many different moments. The question becomes the ultimate reasoning of what Jon D. is looking for. Is it identity? Is it love? Or is it just the thrill that resided in the moment? Granted the connecting points of the story are at times removed and a little circumspect, despite co-director Cattet saying that it is all scripted down to the miniscule detail. This makes a lot of sense but it also depends on the depth of knowledge people have to extrapolate. A lot of it makes sense to the trained eye while some are more obscure. The bloodletting is not overt but it is definitely more adult than usual spy thrillers in its context but also brutality but with less emotional resonance that one would hope. Granted this is an exercise in style and how far it can push the boundaries and in this way it succeeds. B+
By Tim Wassberg
