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One need only peruse the titles of some of the previous films by Belgium-based husband-and-wife directing duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani—included among them, “The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears” and “Let the Corpses Tan”—to get a loose yet sturdy idea of the sort of filmmaking they inhabit: namely, visually dynamic and narratively obscure genre pastiches indebted to the horror/thrillers of a time when a textured, hand-drawn poster and a snazzy title were enough to give even the most forgettable of exploitation flicks a sizeable shelf-life.

Not to say that Cattet and Forzani are coasting entirely on the creativity of their titles and the retro appeal of their marketing materials to elevate idle filmmaking. On the contrary, just five minutes into their latest, “Reflection in a Dead Diamond” (2025) is about all you’ll need to assess that these filmmakers are trying very hard to replicate a...

“Reflection in a Dead Diamond” is a new France-produced surreal spy thriller, written and directed by Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani, starring Fabio Testi, Yannick Renier, Koen De Bouw, Maria de Medeiros, and Thi Mai, with theatrical distribution Tba:

“…’John’ is 70 years old and lives in solitary luxury in a grand hotel on the Côte d’Azur. He becomes intrigued by the woman in the room next door who reminds him of his wild years on the Riviera in the 1960s, back when he was a debonair international spy in a world brimming with peril and promise.

“But when the woman mysteriously disappears, John is beset by flashbacks – or perhaps fantasies – of his glamorous and grotesque past, and the alluring women and dastardly villains who lived and died there.

“John’s reality becomes fragmented as he seeks to unravel the puzzle of his past. Memory, madness and moviemaking become increasingly difficult to separate.

Positive or not, all critical appraisals of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s films inevitably land on the same talking point: their inordinate cinephilia. Rightly so: the Belgian duo’s filmography––an oeuvre now spanning four features and a handful of shorts––teems with nods to a seemingly endless cascade of Italian giallos from the likes of Mario Bava, Sergio Martino, and Dario Argento. You can call that an act of “cinematic rehabilitation,” as Justin Chang once wrote in his review of Let the Corpses Tan––though perhaps that’s only apt to ring true if you think that particular blend of hyper-stylized pulp needs rehabilitating in the first place. Hence the rather simplistic argument: fans of the classics Cattet and Forzani invoke will undoubtedly relish their works while everyone else likely writes them off as hollow tributes––or, to borrow from Stephen Holden’s far less generous take on their 2009 Amer,...

A retired secret agent in his seventies now resides in the opulent French Riviera. His tranquil existence is disrupted by a fleeting glimpse of an enigmatic, bikini-clad stranger—a spark that propels him into memories of covert missions and secretive escapades.

The film unfolds through disconnected moments, where past and present intersect in a series of images resembling fractured reflections in a broken mirror.

The narrative abandons conventional storytelling, embracing fragmented timelines and sudden shifts. Audiences witness the same character in youth and later years, each version resonating with the other, blurring distinctions between lived experience and memory.

The setting—a luxurious yet slightly worn coastal retreat—reflects the protagonist’s internal landscape, embodying a blend of faded elegance and temporal erosion. Through precise and mysterious visuals, the film explores silent inquiries about memory’s unreliability and the burden of a complex personal history.

The Kaleidoscopic Lens: Visual Style and...

Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani waste no time establishing the freely associative rhythms of their latest film, Reflection in a Dead Diamond. Its opening pair of images, of a fizzing drink dissolving into ocean waves as they wash over a bikini-clad young woman, herald an orgiastic symphony of sensory overload. Right out of the gate, the filmmakers’ filtering of a James Bond-esque espionage tale through a grindhouse sensibility exists in such a state of emphatic stimulation that each shot feels punctuated with an exclamation point.

Cattet and Forzani, who stitch Reflection in a Dead Diamond together from a seemingly endless array of money shots and stylistic flourishes, never take their foot off the accelerator. It feels like an impossible velocity to maintain, so a big question hanging over the film is when a moment will come when viewers will be able to catch their breaths. The answer comes when the...

One of Christopher Nolan’s most intriguing comments on “Tenet”’s ill-fated 2020 press tour unveiled the mode of inspiration for his time-swerving spy thriller. He wanted to collate the tropes of the sub-genre from his memory and recollections of film viewings past, hoping the mental results would result in a spy movie urtext — an espionage flick composed of the most profound elements of all other espionage flicks. Concluding the thought, he cited Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West” as an example of the same kind of approach, but with classic Hollywood westerns.

If “Tenet” was some kind of definitive arabesque on the spy movie, it would make a fine double bill at a classy cinematheque with “Reflection in a Dead Diamond,” which has just premiered in competition at the Berlinale. Co-directed by the artsy genre specialists Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, the film shuffles a myriad of spy thriller trademarks,...

Flaunting more leather and latex than a specialty shop off Times Square in the 1970s, Reflection in a Dead Diamond (Reflet dans un diamant mort) is another gory, glammy, eyes-glazing-over feature from French directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.

Indeed, both the ’70s and ’60s are eras from which the avant-garde duo have always mined their material, basking in the excesses of Italian giallo horror flicks, Z-grade Spaghetti westerns and other cult items in their arthouse rehashes, which include Let the Corpses Tan and The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears. The pair’s latest plays like a forgotten Franco-Italian James Bond ripoff that’s dropped too many tabs of acid, then been slapped with a hard-r rating for its abundance of stabbings, slashings and other kinds of twisted desecrations of the human flesh.

A bold choice for competition at the Berlinale, and clearly more fit for midnight or genre fest programs,...

Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, the filmmaking duo behind The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears, and Let the Corpses Tan, are back with a unique spin on the Eurospy subgenre with Reflection in a Dead Diamond.

Below we can exclusively unveil Reflection in a Dead Diamond’s European poster by Gilles Vranckx ahead of the film’s premiere this weekend at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Update: Shudder has acquired the film for premiere later this year.

In the film, “John D, a septuagenarian living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur, is intrigued by his next-door neighbour who reminds him of the wildest years on the Riviera during the 1960s. At that time, he was a spy in a rapidly developing world full of promise. One day, this neighbour mysteriously disappears… bringing John face to face with his demons: are his former adversaries back to wreak havoc on his idyllic world?...

AMC Networks’ Shudder has bought “Reflection in a Dead Diamond,” Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s supernatural crime film, ahead of its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

The Shudder acquisition deal covers North America, the U.K. and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, with plans to release the film exclusively on the streamer in 2025.

“Reflection in a Dead Diamond” takes place following the disappearance of a mysterious woman, as a debonair 70-year-old ex-spy living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur gets “confronted by the demons and darlings of a lurid past in which moviemaking, memories and madness collide,” reads the synopsis.

The film stars Golden Globe-winning Italian actor Fabio Testi, Yannick Renier, Koen De Bouw, Maria De Medeiros, Céline Camara and introduces newcomer Thi Mai Nguyen.

“Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani are simply two of the greatest genre filmmakers in the world. Each film, an event,...

Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani — the husband-and-wife filmmaking duo behind Amer, The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears, and Let the Corpses Tan — are back with Reflection in a Dead Diamond.

Watch the teaser trailer for the tribute to 1960s European spy cinema below.

When the mysterious woman in the room next door disappears, a debonair 70-year-old ex-spy living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur is confronted by the demons and darlings of a lurid past in which moviemaking, memories and madness collide.

Fabio Testi (What Have You Done to Solange?), Yannick Renier, Koen De Bouw (Loft), Maria de Medeiros (Pulp Fiction), and Thi Mai Nguyen star.

The mystery action thriller will have its world premiere in competition at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival later this month.

Italian sales company True Colours acquired the worldwide rights to the film last year. Keep an eye out for US release details.

Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s Reflection In A Dead Diamond has closed sales to a number of key territories ahead of its premiere this month in Berlinale competition and has also exclusively revealed a first look to Screen.

Italian sales agent True Colours has signed deals with Plaion Pictures for German speaking territories and Hishow Entertainment for Mainland China. Further deals with UFO Distribution for France and Cinéart for Belgium and the Netherlands were brokered by the film’s producer Pierre Foulon of Kozak Films.

The film, starring veteran Italian actor Fabio Testi, is an homage to the 1960s...

The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for the 2025 edition, running February 13-23. It’s the first official lineup overseen by new artistic director and former BFI London Film Festival leader Tricia Tuttle, who succeeds Carlo Chatrian and brings her background as an American journalist and curator to the annual German showcase. She’s also working with co-directors of programming, Jacqueline Lyanga and Michael Stütz, to help reposition the Berlinale’s profile among the great global film festivals and lure bigger-name filmmakers in the process.

This year’s lineup, announced Tuesday, January 21, features new films from Richard Linklater, Michel Franco, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Hong Sangsoo (“What Does That Nature Say to You”), Radu Jude (“Kontinental ’25”), and Lucile Hadžihalilović (“The Ice Tower”). Already confirmed in the mix are “Mickey 17” from Bong Joon Ho and Ira Sachs’ Sundance premiere “Peter Hujar’s Day,” plus Tom Tykwer’s “The Light” opening the festival.

Following last week’s lineup announcement, the Berlinale 2025 has now fleshed out its slate with the Competition, Special, and Perspectives sections. Highlights include the world premieres of Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott; Radu Jude’s Kontinental ’25; Hong Sangsoo’s What Does that Nature Say to You; Michel Franco’s Dreams starring Jessica Chastain; Lucile Hadžihalilović’s The Ice Tower starring Marion Cotillard; and Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Hot Milk with Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, and Vicky Krieps.

The festival will also include international premieres from Julia Loktev, Mary Bronstein, Kahlil Joseph, and more. In terms of omissions for films that potentially could have been a strong fit: there’s no Steven Soderberg’s Black Bag, Wes Anderson’s German production The Phoenician Scheme, nor Berlinale regular Christian Petzold, who wrapped Miroirs No. 3 only a few months ago.

Check out the lineup...

The Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled the full list of titles set for its official competition alongside perspective and specials sidebars.

A total of 19 films have been selected for the international competition. It’s a buzzy selection with multiple titles that have been anticipated and boast high-profile names. Highlights include Richard Linklater’s latest feature Blue Moon, starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott. Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco launches his latest title Dreams in competition. The film stars Jessica Chastain, Isaac Hernández and Rupert Friend. Franco last worked with Chastain on the Venice competition title Memory.

Elsewhere, Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude lands in competition with Kontinental ’25. Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Hot Milk starring Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw and Vicky Krieps also secures a spot alongside Hong Sangsoo’s latest What Does that Nature Say to You, and Mumblecore veteran Mary Bronstein returns as a director with If I Had Legs I’d Kick You...

Italian sales company True Colours has acquired worldwide rights to Reflection In A Dead Diamond from cult genre film directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.

The fourth feature from the Brussels-based duo is an homage to 1960s Euro-spy stories, set in the glamorous, decadent backdrop of the Côte d’Azur. Filming wrapped in December and the film is now in post-production.

Reflection In A Dead Diamond centres on a retired spy who fears his former enemies are back for a final fight when his intriguing next-door neighbour mysteriously disappears.

Known for their unique visual style, Cattet and Forzani’s films blend action,...

Paris-based Urban Sales has acquired Jean-Claude Monod’s queer period drama Girl For A Day and Jul and Jean-Paul Guigue’s hybrid animation Silex And The City and is launching sales for both films at Unifrance’s Paris Rendez-Vous next week,

Set in the 18th century, Girl For A Day is Monod’s debut feature and is based on the true story of a person called Anne Grandjean who was urged to dress as a man and change her name due to her attraction to women, and was then brought to trial. Marie Toscan stars alongside Call My Agent’s Thibault de Montalembert,...

Today sees Olivier Pairoux begin the shoot for his feature debut, a family adventure flick starring Basile Grunberger, Albane Masson and Yannick Renier. Today sees the start of the six-week shoot for Space Boy, the feature debut by director Olivier Pairoux (whom we have to thank for the Philippe Katerine-starring short film Puzzle), which he co-wrote with Eusebio Larrea. Space Boy is a family adventure film, a fairly unusual proposition in French-language Belgian cinema, and it draws its inspiration from the Us films of this genre that the director was brought up on as a child, such as The Goonies, E.T. and Stand by Me. This movie tinged with nostalgia unfolds in 1986, a time when space exploration was in full swing. An exceptionally gifted dreamer, 11-year-old Jim, lives with his father, Graham, who is destined to become the first British scientist to go into space. But when Jim finds.

Titles screening at the 18th edition include David Robert Mitchell’s Under The Silver Lake.

Swiss genre festival Neuchâtel Fantastic Film Festival (Nifff) has announced the programme for its 18th edition, held from July 6-14 this year.

The festival will open with the world premiere of web series Le 5e Cavalier, which won the Fantastic Web Contest at last year’s event. The closing film will be the Swiss premiere of animation Hotel Transylvania 3.

Scroll down for the full line-up

Across nine days the festival will screen over 150 films across 14 sections, consisting of 109 features and 60 shorts.

16 films will compete in the international competition,...

The Dardenne Brothers always write and direct their films at a steady clip, often releasing their films in three- or four-year intervals. Their latest film “The Unknown Girl,” about a doctor who sets out to find the identity of an unknown young woman who died after she was refused surgery, premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Now, Variety reports that Luc Dardenne says that the duo are set to make their next film, which will be about the rise of terrorism in Europe. “We are writing the script now, and hope to shoot it in Belgium by the fall of next year,” says the Dardenne brother.

Read More: Cannes Review: ‘The Unknown Girl’ is Dardenne Brothers Doing a Detective Movie

Luc Dardenne is currently at the 20th Lima Film Festival as they are paying tribute to his film work. As part of the tribute, Lima is screening a section of the Dardennes’ films,...

The White Knights

Director: Joachim Lafosse // Writer: Zelia Abadie, Bulle Decarpentries, Joachim Lafosse, Thomas van Zuylen

Belgian director Joachim Lafosse seems fascinated with incredibly uncomfortable subject matters, known for transgressing awkward familial dynamics in films like the Isabelle Huppert headlined Private Property (2006), an inappropriate student/teacher relationship in Private Lessons (2008), and in his most notable title to date, infanticide in Our Children (2012), which played in Un Certain Regard at Cannes and nabbed Emilie Dequenne a special Best Actress prize in that sidebar (the film also starred Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup). His next title, which stands as Lafosse’s sixth feature film, The White Knights, focuses on humanitarian work and stars Vincent Lindon as the head of an Ngo working to extract 300 children from a civil war raging in Chad so that they may be relocated to adoptive French families. Lindon is an incredibly prominent screen presence in France, lately...

Early One Morning / De Bon Matin

Writer/Director: Jean-Marc Moutout

2010, France / Belgium

Are work-related problems driving you over the edge? Just minutes into Jean-Marc Moutout’s Early One Morning, a middle-aged businessman starts his day by coolly gunning down a couple of colleagues. As the killer waits quietly in his office, Moutout spends the next 90 minutes explaining what drove him to this shocking act of violence.

With its focus on the ongoing banking crisis and workplace stress, Early One Morning could have been conceived as a scathing satire or a pitch-black comedy. Instead Moutout, who also made the workplace drama Work Hard, Play Hard (2003), has taken the serious approach. What follows is a sad, thought-provoking but never mawkish story about the unravelling life of middle-aged bank executive Paul Wertret (superbly played by Jean-Pierre Darroussin).

The film begins with Paul’s meticulous preparations for what will be his final morning at Bicf in Annecy,...

PARIS -- Love was in the air as Chico Teixeira's Brazilian film "A casa de Alice" won the Golden Swann prize for best film at the 22nd Cabourg Romantic Film Festival, which wrapped Sunday night in the French seaside town.

A jury presided by filmmaker Jean-Pierre Denis named Patrick Bruel best actor for his role in Claude Miller's Holocaust drama "A Secret". Gallic actress Laetitia Casta took home the best actress award for her performance in Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau's dramatic comedy "Nes en 68" (Born in '68).

Other members of the fest's jury included director-actresses Anne Le Ny and Maiwenn, actresses Claire Nebout, Lolita Chammah and Hafsia Herzi, actor Clement Sibony and writer Emmanuelle Cosso-Merad.

Emmanuel Mouret won the best director award for "Un baiser, s'il vous plait" (A kiss, please). "Welcome to the Sticks" star Anne Marivin was named most promising actress and Yannick Renier was given the most promising actor prize for his role in "Nes en 68".

Local High School students gave their young jury prize to Doris Dorrie's German title "Cherry Blossoms".