Streaming And Screaming: ‘Reflection In A Dead Diamond’ Review

“A retired spy suspects his former adversaries have resurfaced when his intriguing neighbor vanishes.“

I was first introduced to the films of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani with Let the Corpses Tan. The directors daringly combined the best elements from giallo and spaghetti westerns into something totally original. I also watched their pure giallo homage with The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears. Two films down and I’m officially a fan and looking forward to their take on the 1960s spy genre.

Reflection in a Dead Diamond is a hyper-stylized spy thriller with a mystery that plays out across multiple timelines. I found myself hypnotized by the psychedelic visuals and meticulous cinematography. Part of the challenge and allure of the film is piecing together the plot. Viewers are given the familiar spy genre elements of gadgets and femme fatales  and then they are flung into the deep-end of a brilliant and bizarre dream world.

Reflection in a Dead Diamond is made by genre fans for genre fans. I was pleasantly surprised to see the homages to films like Danger Diabolik and Fantomas. The film takes everything that made Cattet and Forzani’s previous projects spectacular and dials it up to 100. It is a crowning achievement to a thematic trilogy of neo-giallo films.

As a side note: I feel that there’s so much noise online about “the decaying state of cinema.” It isn’t dying, it’s fermenting: we’re seeing plucky genre filmmakers pushing the medium forward by combining entertainment with experimentation. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani are talented avant garde directors who should be on every cinephile’s radar.

Reflection in a Dead Diamond is now streaming on Shudder.