I’m really glad I watched Diamonds of the Night, but I can’t imagine ever putting myself through it again.
It’s only an hour long, but it left me feeling like I’d been through something much longer and heavier. The dreamlike editing and minimal dialogue create a sense of being in a fugue state—half survival, half memory, half hallucination. (Yes, that’s three halves. This movie distorts math, too.)
The scene with the old men singing while the others eat—that got to me. The contrast between their grotesque cheer and the dead-eyed hunger was unbearable. Every bite and chuckle felt like a punch in the gut. It’s not violent in the conventional sense, but it’s one of the grimmest things I’ve ever seen.
A quiet, brutal masterpiece. And no, I don’t want to go through it again.
I’m really glad I watched Diamonds of the Night, but I can’t imagine ever putting myself through it again.
It’s only an hour long, but it left me feeling like I’d been through something much longer and heavier. The dreamlike editing and minimal dialogue create a sense of being in a fugue state—half survival, half memory, half hallucination. (Yes, that’s three halves. This movie distorts math, too.)
The scene with the old men singing while the others eat—that got to me. The contrast between their grotesque cheer and the dead-eyed hunger was unbearable. Every bite and chuckle felt like a punch in the gut. It’s not violent in the conventional sense, but it’s one of the grimmest things I’ve ever seen.
A quiet, brutal masterpiece. And no, I don’t want to go through it again.