Diamante, by Argentine filmmaker Emiliano Grieco, focuses on the life of Ezequiel, a young kid who lives in a fishing village on the shores of the Paraná River. Like his father and his grandfather, he too wants to be a fisherman. So they teach him the basics and more, and since he’s a quick learner, it seems he’ll become a seasoned fisherman in no time. With his mother and sisters, he shares special tender moments in his tranquil summery every day. He will soon be a teenager who’s left childhood behind. In the meantime, he’s still growing up.
Typical of an observational documentary, Diamante follows closely Ezequiel’s every step. Writer and director Emiliano Grieco also is in charge of the cinematography, and his camera is astute and aware of the details of Ezequiel’s world. There’s a certain atmosphere of immediate heat and damp cold that has been very well-captured. There’s also a way of framing and representing faces, objects, areas of this universe that’s very eloquent and, to a certain extent, very enticing too. When it comes to feelings and characters, they can be said to be the same.
As time goes by in a leisured manner, very minor events take place and they eventually build up some kind of narrative. Yet this narrative is not strong enough to make up a compelling depiction of the vicissitudes of these slices of life. It’s plain clear that this is a contemplative feature, but its images are not hypnotic to provide — they are spontaneous and nonchalant, and this is another asset. All in all, Diamante offers more than just a glimpse of a little-known territory as it captures much of the mood and ambiance that permeate the entire place. In this regard, it’s indeed well done. And the people featured in the film come across as real, never as characters posing for the camera, and this is also to be celebrated. However, when it drags, which is too often, you tend to lose interest in this rich universe.
Production notes:
Diamante (Argentina, 2013). Written and directed by Emiliano Grieco. Produced by Daniel Werner, Emiliano Grieco. With: Ezequiel Molina. Cinematography by: Emiliano Grieco. Editing by: Ernesto Felder, Emiliano Grieco. Running time: 60 minutes.
