Diamonds in the Sand (2024)

Original title

砂の中のダイヤモンド

Directed by

Janus Victoria

Genre

drama

Country

Japan

Runtime

1h 42m

Rated

IIA

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A divorced Japanese salaryman moves to the Philippines hoping to escape loneliness. The story follows his encounters with local people as he adjusts to a new life abroad.

contemplativequietlonelyhopefulslow-pacedintrospectivepoignantgentlebittersweet

What happens

Diamonds in the Sand (Japanese: 砂の中のダイヤモンド, Hepburn: Suna no naka no daiyamondo; lit. Diamonds in the sand) is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Philippine author-documentary director Janus Victoria in her feature film directorial debut. The film stars Lily Franky as a divorced Japanese salaryman who decided to move to the Philippines, where he believed that no one would be alone. It also stars Charlie Dizon, Maria Isabel Lopez, Soliman Cruz, Stefanie Ariane, and Kazuko Yoshiyuki in one of her final film roles before her death in September 2025. An international co-production between the Philippines, Japan, and Malaysia, the film had its world premiere in Japan on 23 November 2024, as part of Tokyo Filmex. It was later shown overseas, including the Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy on 27 April 2025, and 69th BFI London Film Festival in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2025. The film has been shown in the Philippines via the 13th QCinema International Film Festival on 15 November 2025. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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