After making two neo-giallos (Amer and The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears) and sidestepping into acid westerns (Let the Corpses Tan), Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani are back with their latest cinematic love letter—this time tackling two incredibly unexpected genres: superheroes and secret agents. Reflection in a Dead Diamond gives us the old James Bond film we never knew we needed, with a heaping dose of Eurocrime that plays like a 90-minute Bond opening sequence, loaded like a pair of headlight-mounted machine guns.
I caught up with the husband-and-wife writing/directing duo, who are easily two of my favorite contemporary filmmakers, after seeing their latest film for the second time – to talk about their process and the creation of this surreal genre hybrid.
Dan Tabor: I’ve been a fan of your work since catching Amer in Philadelphia almost 15 years ago, so it was a thrill to see Reflection in a Dead Diamond at Fantastic Fest. With this film, you blend two hyper-masculine genres—the spy thriller and the comic-book movie—and use them to deconstruct toxic masculinity. After two neo-gialli and an acid western, what led you down this particular path?
Bruno Forzani: It came from our feeling about what’s happening in the world. We all want to save the world—but in a way, we fail. And that’s something James Bond was “supposed” to do for the last 50 years, yet maybe he’s destroyed it a little more than he saved it.
We wanted to explore that type of hero and question what he represents, from his golden era in the ’60s to today. Our intention wasn’t to pay homage to Eurospy films or Bond; that was just the starting point.
Dan Tabor: That ties to my next question: Bond is essentially part of the establishment, while Serpentik feels like a Diabolik figure—more anarchic, almost a counter-culture terrorist. What do you think separates American or British heroic archetypes from Italian ones?
Bruno Forzani: In Italian comics, there’s a gray zone. The villain can also be the hero.
Hélène Cattet: Whereas in American culture, things tend to be more binary—good versus evil.
Bruno: So approaching this well-known pop universe from the Italian side let us bring something new to it. Those Italian ’60s spy films had a psychedelic, pop sensibility—a fake image of the past. That helped us play with memory, because you’re never sure of the authenticity of what you’re seeing.
Dan Tabor: Your films are defined by their sensual and sometimes horrific imagery. What does your storytelling process look like? When do visuals and music enter the script? And specifically—how do you arrive at something like the diamond nipple-piercing that becomes the key to unlocking John D’s journey?
Hélène Cattet: Everything happens in the script phase. Each shot is a “word,” and editing is like building a sentence. We’re always constructing a sensorial language, so we need to think very precisely about every image.
Bruno Forzani: Music inspires the writing. When a piece fits a scene, we loop it and write with it.
We were also very influenced by Satoshi Kon—Perfect Blue and especially Millennium Actress. Each viewing reveals new layers. We wanted to write a script like that. Westworld was another reference for its structural complexity.
Dan Tabor: On second viewing, so much more comes into focus. I saw the film again on a Screener after Fantastic Fest, and the nuances really clicked.
Bruno Forzani: That’s exactly what we wanted. First viewing is for the physical, theatrical experience—we designed the film for that. Then on a second viewing, you can start finding keys and details. We’re very happy Shudder is releasing it in theaters first, then streaming.
Dan Tabor: Let’s talk about Serpentik. She’s a commentary on how women in these genres are objectified, yet she’s not only John’s adversary—she’s superior to him. How did you land on this gender-swapped Diabolik as the antagonist?
Bruno Forzani: Honestly, it started as a joke while writing. I created a female Diabolik, Hélène liked it—and we developed her from there.
Hélène Cattet: She became a mirror of John. She symbolizes different things across different moments of his life.
Bruno: And with her masks and shifting identities, she was the key to opening the film’s layers. She’s essential to the structure.
Dan Tabor: I loved all of your villains, honestly. I’d watch a whole film based on each of them. I even went down a Diabolik rabbit hole afterward watching the films adaptations.
Bruno Forzani: That makes us think of an Italian villain called Kriminal, from a fumetti photo-comic. The actor behind the mask was never revealed—censorship stopped the final issue where they planned to show his face. That mystery was a big inspiration for Serpentik.
Dan Tabor: The film has a fantastic meta structure that digs into memory and identity. The ending twist works on multiple levels, and you’ve explored dream/reality blurring in films like Amer and Strange Color. What keeps you returning to that theme?
Bruno Forzani: In Amer and Strange Color, it was more intimate—linked to fantasies and being lost between the real and the imaginary.
For this film, it’s about the world changing. Today we don’t always know what’s true and what’s fake. That confusion is part of reality now, and we wanted to explore that through John.
Dan Tabor: I adored the gadgets in the film, especially the eye-ring. How did you design those?
Hélène Cattet: Childhood memories! Early Bond films, Italian thrillers—those handmade gadgets.
Bruno Forzani: Technology was simpler, so everything felt artisanal and magical. We love that.
Our favorite is the dress we designed—how it shifts from camera dress to lethal weapon dress.
Hélène: Today everything is on a phone. There’s no magic anymore. We wanted to bring that magic back.
Dan Tabor: I loved the bittersweet conversation in the film about everything becoming “just an app.” It really underlines how the world is changing for John. Finally, Last time we talked—back on Let the Corpses Tan—you mentioned an animated film in development. Is that still happening?
Hélène Cattet: Yes. It’s called Darling, an adaptation.
Bruno Forzani: It’s a revenge movie set in 1960s New York, visually influenced by Japanese anime. Because it’s the early ’60s, we bring back Hitchcock-type characters and that era’s atmosphere. We started in 2015, and animation is a much longer process than live action.
Now we have initial financing, and we’ll be working on it next year.
Dan Tabor: Thank you both so much for speaking with me again. Huge congratulations on the film.
Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani: Thank you, Dan.
