What is DIAMANT BRUT about?
Liane dreams of making it big as an influencer. But it’s not easy. So she makes ends meet by stealing. The 19-year-old is obsessed with beauty and sees it as a way out of a less than glamorous life. She has already had her breasts and lips done. Now her breakthrough could come: She has the chance to take part in the next season of a reality TV show…
With WILD DIAMOND, Agathe Riedinger delivers a remarkable feature film debut, which opened this year’s competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. In her first feature film, she focuses on the complex facets of reality TV – an often disregarded reflection of society. She is fascinated by these daily shows and the social media profiles of their participants, but equally troubled by the values they often espouse, such as violence and the hypersexualization of women. The director observes her protagonist with an empathetic, almost tender gaze, which almost has documentary traits thanks to the camera work. The leading actress Malou Khebizi shines in her first film role in this touching and authentic drama. She powerfully and naturally plays the character of 19-year-old Liane, a kind of modern Barbie, with all the attributes that go with it, such as dizzying heels, overlong extensions, false fingernails and “bling-bling” jewelry, without ever falling into caricature.