Diva

A postman obsessed with an American opera singer and a prostitute desperate to escape a pimping ring controlled by a police commissioner. Secret tape recordings that, instead of bringing freedom, turn those who made them into hunted prey. A Taiwanese music mafia, a mysterious artist, a beautiful young kleptomaniac, good cops, bad cops and crooked cops, chases, exploding cars and betrayals. Judging by its plot alone, Diva – a pioneering work of French neo-baroque cinema – might sound like the kind of thriller once found on VHS stalls at a street market. But in the hands of first-time director Jean-Jacques Beineix, this adaptation of the second novel in a crime series becomes a postmodern carnival overflowing with visual splendour and layered meaning, as well as a manifesto of youthful disillusionment and helplessness. Modern technology may fuel the same old systemic corruption and abuses of power, but it also opens up the possibility of seeing oneself from a new perspective. Diva already contains all the elements that would become central to the movement: scenes in the Paris métro, a magnetic and unsettling multi-instrumental score, and cinematography saturated with deep colours and sharp contrasts. Opera lovers, meanwhile, may especially appreciate the only screen role of the American soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez, who gives a striking performance in the title role.

Marcin Prymas

Jean-Jacques Beineix (1946–2022) – French director, screenwriter, and producer, a leading figure of the cinéma du look movement. After abandoning medical studies in the wake of May 1968, he began working as an assistant director before making his feature debut with Diva (1981), which brought him international recognition despite mixed critical reception. His visually stylised, dreamlike films (including The Moon in the Gutter and Betty Blue) later gained cult status. Following the sudden death of the actor Yves Montand during the production of IP5, he turned to documentary filmmaking, remaining a distinctly independent voice.