Diamond in the rough: the revelation of a filmmaker [critique]

In her first film, Agathe Riedinger questions the caricatured representations of the southern “hood”, painting a delicate portrait of a misunderstood person.

A most opportune timing. Rough Diamond, discovered in competition at Cannes, arrives in cinemas almost a month after the broadcast of the series Worship on Amazon Prime. The latter left us with a promise, that of the meteoric development of reality TV in France after the success of Loft Story. Agathe Riedinger's first film takes place in her terminal phase. Exit Loana, Upside Down and the excitement of the public in front of some frolics in front of the camera: today, reality TV is part of the furniture of the PAF, and it is populated by young women who, not only aspire to prosper there, but perfectly master the codes despite ignorance feint.

Liane, 19, is one of them. An influencer with a strong character, she corresponds in every way to the stereotypical figure of the “hood”, painted, noisy, and materialistic. She lives in Fréjus in precarious conditions, with her mother and sister on her back, and has the crazy hope of being selected for the show. Miracle Island after a casting. It is this waiting in the dungeon that Agathe Riedinger likes to film, with a taste for naturalism which is reminiscent of Andrea Arnold who, too, painted the portrait of an adolescent girl with skin tanned by the sun in American Honey. Aware of the objectification of these young, ultra-feminine girls from the working classes, and their devaluation, the director gropes forward, with a caution sometimes bordering on hesitation. Raises questions that will never be answered.

Leon Cattan

By Agathe Riedinger. With Malou Khebizi, Idir Azougli, Andréa Bescond… Duration 1h43. Released November 20, 2024