Wild Diamond

“Wild Diamonds” is a character study both of Liane and of the culture that has spawned her, and a film that manages to be both empathetic and unforgiving.

The movie glancingly suggests the soul-rotting effects of beauty worship, but it falls victim to the trap that Liane is trying to avoid: in a sea of worthy candidates, it doesn’t especially stand out.

Khebizi’s performance– she is in practically every frame– is terrific. Even when the film begins meandering, with a putative romance which doesn’t come off well, you can’t take your eyes off Liane...

[Magnus von Horn] tackled the subject far more efficiently in his 2020 influencer drama Sweat. Wild Diamond, by comparison, feels dated.

The riveting revelation of “Wild Diamond” is that the film’s first-time writer-director, Agathe Riedinger, tells this story... with a clear-eyed dramatic power worthy of Andrea Arnold or the Dardenne brothers.

It’s a spirited debut feature from Agathe Riedinger that absolutely has its finger on the pulse of present-day pop culture, and Khebizi is a formidable presence...

Agathe Riedinger creates great intimacy with documentary style camera work with the help of Malou Khebizi's incredibly natural, vulnerable performance in a soul-baring role.

Wild Diamond is a promising but largely unsophisticated film, with Riedinger often making her very obvious themes even more explicit through dialogue.

This year has given us many movies that allow young women into complex character studies usually reserved for men or older characters, and Wild Diamond is easily one of the best.

It’s a hard-hitting, hot-blooded social drama/character study that shows promise of a new, fiercely assured cinematic voice, even if the story it tells isn’t breaking any ground.