Film Review: Diamanti / Diamonds

A breath of fresh air, set in Italy, Ferzan Ozpetek’s Diamanti – or Diamonds in English– is a warm, multi-faceted and passionate story within the film. An Oscar winning director (Steffano Accorsi) works with a group of actresses to make a film about celebrating the work of women in a costume shop. The shop is owned by two sisters, Alberta (Luisa Ranieri) and Gabriella (Jasmine Trinca), with a crew of women who work as seamstresses and designers. It is a simple story told elaborately, with glimpses into the lives of the women who work there: no single woman is one dimensional. The men are there to exist in the background, to be side characters in their story. Refreshing and bold in the warm lighting that bathes the costume shop, it felt intimate and aesthetic and a long way away from the current trend of gray and dull films that use “Netflix lighting”, as is the term used by most.

While all the characters have their own lives and plotlines that follow them, the one place where they come together and work even if it is rigorous, their narratives almost sew together like different pieces of fabric that are all part of one dress. One of the most prominent symbols in the film echoes this, the sound of falling beads down the stairs– you can hear each bead making its own sound but at the same time they also make a collective tune.

[..] their narratives almost sew together like different pieces of fabric that are all part of one dress.

At the centre of it all is the need for perfection, primarily brought in by Alberta who shoulders most of the duties and responsibilities to manage the shop as her sister is going through something herself. Alberta’s character explores beyond that of a lone, strict female boss. Yes, she’s harsh and her priorities are set on the success of the shop with the upcoming movie project. Through it all however, we see her compassion towards her employees along with the moment where she has a meltdown at her sister. Her character is turbulent and real.

Another really well-explored character in the film was Nicoletta (Milena Mancini) who struggles between her abusive husband and the demands of her job. I will not give anything away here, although fair warning for the beginning as it may be hard to watch. The way in which it is portrayed feels truly empowering, and through her character we get to see the way her workplace is almost like a sanctuary for her, with the women she works with who look out for her and notice when something is off and help her through it. There is something so satisfying more than just heart-warming about this side-plot.

What makes the whole experience so enamouring is the cinematography. The lighting, the frames and the pacing of everything fits together so perfectly. When the shot is still, there is movement within the frame. And when the shot moves through the scene, everything within it is still, giving us a moment to appreciate the details of the set. Even during the darker scenes, both literally and figuratively, there is always a source of warm light somewhere in the frame, possibly symbolising hope. Along with this, the change in the colour grading from the discussion of the project, to the actual story complements the tone of an aestheticised, nostalgic and women-dominated space of the costume shop. Because it is meant to be reminiscent in the eyes of the director, as the ending scene makes clear.

[..] there is always a source of warm light somewhere in the frame,

There is so much to say about the absolute pleasure of getting to watch this film in a theatre, because it seems to belong on a screen bigger than a laptop or a TV. The grandeur of the film lies in the costumes themselves. The collective effort and creativity that went into designing them, as the main plot follows their work for Bianca Vega (Vanessa Scalera). The whole process brings out the emphasis of human touch and original design, one of my favourite parts of the movie was seeing Beatrice (Aurora Giovinazzo) add her ideas onto the dresses in the middle of the night. Seeing the final dress made by all of them almost made me tear up.

While there are many amazing things to talk about for this film, the one point of criticism I have would be the amount of stories being told in a single go. They are all really interesting but it seems that we only get a glance at most of them and many don’t get explored or shown enough. With the way the film is paced, and the layers to the story being told, it feels like there is too much going on for the amount of time there is. Within the duration of two hours and fifteen minutes we are exposed to so many plotlines, and while it may be trying to portray that some lives remain invisible it still appears a little unbalanced.

Overall, Diamonds is absolutely worth a trip to the cinema and deserves all the love it has received in its home country, Italy. It’s comforting, aesthetic and very real.

Diamanti will be available to watch in UK cinemas from 17th April 2026