Diamond Island: Davy Chou’s gentle drama tells the story of a young Cambodian man who moves from a rural village to Phnom Penh to work on a construction site. Upon meeting his older brother, who had long been missing, he is introduced to a new circle and alternative life choices. It is the serene opposition of the two brothers, one who has turned his back on the past and the other who still looks to his origins, and the two close but incompatible worlds, that forms the heart of this film. The performances are low-key but effective: NUON Sobon plays the quiet protagonist, NON Cheanick his charming and mysterious brother, and NUT Samnang one of his friends. The film is visually colourful, and neon lights and bright colours for both constructions and clothes disguise the general misery of the place. Cinematographer Thomas Favel captures it all with a simple, elegantly observational camera; editor Laurent Leveneur keeps the pace easy and pleasurable. The film makes fine use of music.