Reflection in a Dead Diamond
| Reflection in a Dead Diamond | |
|---|---|
French theatrical release poster | |
| French | Reflet dans un diamant mort |
| Directed by | Hélène Cattet Bruno Forzani |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Pierre Foulon |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Manu Dacosse |
| Edited by | Bernard Beets |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Languages |
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| Box office | $70,269[1] |
Reflection in a Dead Diamond (French: Reflet dans un diamant mort) is a 2025 action mystery thriller film written and directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. A homage to 1960s Eurospy films,[2] it follows John Diman (Fabio Testi), a septuagenarian retired spy living on the French Riviera, who fears his former enemies are back for a final fight when his intriguing next-door neighbor mysteriously disappears.[3][4]
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on 16 February 2025, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear.[5] It was released theatrically in Belgium on 30 April 2025 by Cinéart in France on 25 June 2025 by UFO Distribution and in Italy on 3 July 2025 by Lucky Red.
Premise
[edit]John D, a retired spy in his 70s residing in a luxurious hotel on the French Riviera, is fascinated by his new neighbor, who kindles his memories of the Riviera's vibrant days in the 1960s. When his neighbor vanishes without a trace, John is forced to confront his past demons.
Cast
[edit]- Fabio Testi as John Diman
- Yannick Renier as young John Diman
- Koen De Bouw as Markus Strand
- Maria de Medeiros as the author
- Thi Mai Nguyen as Serpentik
- Céline Camara
- Kézia Quental as Cantatrice
Production
[edit]In January 2023, screen.brussels invested €150,000 in the film. Five days of the filming were done in Brussels out of a total of forty days.[6] Filming wrapped in December 2023.[3] It is produced by Kozak Films, Les Films Fauves, Dandy Projects, Tobina Film, Savage Film, and To Be Continued with the backing of screen.brussels.[7]
Release
[edit]Reflection in a Dead Diamond had its world premiere in the main competition of 75th Berlin International Film Festival on 16 February 2025.[8][9][10] In May 2024, the Italian sales company True Colours acquired worldwide rights to the film.[3] Ahead of the film's world premiere, Shudder acquired distribution rights to North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand,[11] and released the film on its platform in those territories on 5 December 2025.[12]
The film competed in the official competition Grand Prix competition at the Luxembourg City Film Festival on 7 March 2025.[13] It also competed in the International Narrative Competition section of the 24th Tribeca Festival and was screened on 9 June 2025.[14] The film was also selected at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival for screening on 17 July 2025,[15] showcased at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival in the "Kinoscope" section in August 2025,[16] and screened in the "Strands: Cult" section of the 2025 BFI London Film Festival on 13 October.[17][18]
On 13 October 2025, the film competed in the 58th Sitges Film Festival in the Oficial Fantàstic Competició section, vying for the various awards given in the section.[19][20] It was also screened in the Twilight Zone section of the 2025 Stockholm International Film Festival on 5 November[21] and was presented in the Macabre Deams section of the 56th International Film Festival of India in November 2025.[22]
Reflection in a Dead Diamond was released theatrically in Belgium on 30 April 2025 by Cinéart in France on 25 June 2025 by UFO Distribution and in Italy on 3 July 2025 by Lucky Red.[23][24][25][26]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 46 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "A dazzling monument to lurid cinema that gleams with stylistic verve, Reflection in a Dead Diamond might be directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani's most cohesive and thrilling genre pastiche yet."[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[28]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 23 February 2025 | Golden Bear | Reflection in a Dead Diamond | Nominated | [29] |
| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | 25 October 2026 | Best International Movie | Pending | [30] | |
| Best Streaming Premiere | Pending | ||||
| Gotham TV Awards | 1 June 2026 | Outstanding Original Film, Broadcast or Streaming | Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, and Pierre Foulon | Won | [31] |
| Outstanding Performance in an Original Film | Yannick Renier | Nominated | |||
| Luxembourg City Film Festival | 16 March 2025 | Grand Prix | Reflection in a Dead Diamond | Nominated | [32] |
| René Awards | 7 March 2026 | Best Actor | Yannick Renier | Won | [33] [34] |
| Best Cinematography | Manuel Dacosse | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Jackye Fauconnier | Won | |||
| Best Production Design | Laurie Colson | Won | |||
| Best Sound | Dan Bruylandt, Olivier Thys, Mathieu Cox, and Aline Gavroy | Nominated | |||
| Seattle Film Critics Society | 15 December 2025 | Best Film Editing | Bernard Beets | Nominated | [35] |
| Sitges Film Festival | 19 October 2025 | Best Feature Film | Reflection in a Dead Diamond | Nominated | [20] |
| José Luis Guarner Critics Award for Best Film | Won[a] | [36] |
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Tied with The Life of Chuck
References
[edit]- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond (2025)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ De Marco, Camillo (15 May 2024). "Italy's True Colours pins its hopes on foreign titles at Cannes". Cineuropa.
- 1 2 3 Dams, Tim (2 May 2024). "True Colours adds Cattet & Forzani's 'Reflection in a Dead Diamond' to Cannes slate (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 1 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond". Film Fund Luxembourg. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ↑ Rosser, Michael (21 January 2025). "Berlin Film Festival reveals 2025 competition line-up 2025". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "Reflet dans un diamant mort" [Reflection in a Dead Diamond] (in French). Screen Brussels. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond". Cineuropa. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ↑ Abbatescianni, Davide (21 January 2025). "The Berlinale unveils the titles playing in its Competition and its Perspectives and Berlinale Special strands". Cineuropa. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ↑ Ntim, Zac (21 January 2025). "Berlin Film Festival Lineup: Richard Linklater, Jessica Chastain, A$AP Rocky & Marion Cotillard Movies Among Vibrant Selection". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond". Berlin International Film Festival. 16 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (10 February 2025). "Shudder Buys 'Reflection in a Dead Diamond' for Multiple Territories Ahead of Berlin Festival Premiere (Exclusive)". Variety.
- ↑ Mack, Andrew (24 November 2025). "Shudder in December: 'Reflection in a Dead Diamond', 'Influencers', 'Queens of the Dead', Holiday Specials, and More!". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond". Luxembourg City Film Festival. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ↑ Popp, Olivia (18 April 2025). "European productions set to make a great first impression at Tribeca". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ↑ Foreman, Alison (5 June 2025). "Ari Aster's 'Eddington' Will Open Fantasia Fest 2025 – More from the Second Wave Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ↑ "Introducing the Kinoscope Program of the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival". Sarajevo Film Festival. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ↑ Ntim, Zac (3 September 2025). "BFI London Film Festival: Chloé Zhao's 'Hamnet' & Kate Moss Biopic 'Moss & Freud' Among Headline Titles – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond". BFI London Film Festival. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ↑ Popp, Olivia (11 September 2025). "Sitges gets ready to thrill and chill with its 2025 line-up". Cineuropa. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- 1 2 "We Complete the 2025 line-up: Guillermo del Toro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Park Chan-wook, Carmen Maura, and Other Big Names in Contemporary Fantastic Genre". Sitges Film Festival. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond". Stockholm International Film Festival. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
- ↑ "Macabre Deams – 2025". International Film Festival of India. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "'Reflet dans un diamant mort': un film d'espionnage labyrinthique et visuellement impressionnant" ['Reflection in a Dead Diamond': a labyrinthine and visually stunning spy film] (in French). RTBF. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "Les distributeurs ajustent leurs line-ups" [Distributors are adjusting their product lines]. Boxoffice Pro (in French). 7 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ Sammarco, Valerio (1 July 2025). "Riflessi, rifrazioni e diffrazioni" [Reflections, refractions, and diffractions]. Cinematografo (in Italian). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond de Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani (2024)". Unifrance. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "Reflection in a Dead Diamond". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ Roxborough, Scott (21 January 2025). "Berlin Film Festival Lineup: Movies from Richard Linklater, Michel Franco, Hong Sang-soo in Competition (Full List)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ↑ Melanson, Angel (2 July 2026). "The Best in Horror: Here Are the 2026 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Nominees". Fangoria. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ Lewis, Hilary (1 June 2026). "Gotham TV Awards: 'DTF St. Louis' Takes Two Awards as 'Pluribus', 'I Love LA' Win Key Prizes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ "Compétition Officielle Archives". Luxembourg City Film Festival. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ↑ RTBF Culture (6 February 2026). "Voici les nominations aux René du Cinéma 2026" [Here are the nominations for René du Cinéma 2026] (in Spanish). RTBF. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- ↑ Nassogne, Alain (8 March 2026). "René du Cinéma 2026: le palmarès complet, triomphe pour 'On vous croit'" [René du Cinéma 2026: the complete winners, triumph for 'On vous croit'] (in Spanish). RTBF. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- ↑ "'Sinners' Ties Seattle Film Critics Nominations Record with 'One Battle After Another' Close Behind". Seattle Film Critics Society. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ↑ Romero, Miguel Ángel (18 October 2025). "Palmarés de Sitges 2025: el body horror 'La hermanastra fea' gana el premio a la mejor película" [Sitges Awards 2025: The body horror 'The Ugly Stepsister' wins the award for Best Film]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2025.
External links
[edit]- Reflection in a Dead Diamond at IMDb
- Reflection in a Dead Diamond at Berlinale
- Reflection in a Dead Diamond at Screen Brussels
- Reflection in a Dead Diamond at AlloCiné (in French)
- 2025 films
- 2025 action thriller films
- 2025 Belgian films
- 2025 English-language films
- 2025 French films
- 2025 French-language films
- 2025 Italian films
- 2025 Italian-language films
- 2025 mystery thriller films
- 2020s spy action films
- 2020s spy thriller films
- Belgian action thriller films
- Belgian mystery thriller films
- Belgian spy thriller films
- English-language action thriller films
- English-language Belgian films
- English-language French films
- English-language Italian films
- English-language Luxembourgian films
- English-language mystery thriller films
- English-language spy action films
- English-language spy thriller films
- Films set in hotels
- Films set on the French Riviera
- Films shot in Brussels
- French action thriller films
- French mystery thriller films
- French spy action films
- French spy thriller films
- French-language action thriller films
- French-language Belgian films
- French-language Italian films
- French-language Luxembourgian films
- French-language mystery thriller films
- French-language spy thriller films
- Italian action thriller films
- Italian mystery thriller films
- Italian spy action films
- Italian spy thriller films
- Italian-language action thriller films
- Italian-language French films
- Italian-language mystery thriller films
- Italian-language spy thriller films
- Luxembourgian thriller films