Contrasting locations of Tokyo and Manila form part of Lily Franky’s journey in search of happiness after a couple of sad events touch his life. Janus Victoria’s feature debut Diamonds in the Sand is in competition for the Sutherland Award at London Film Festival.
Salaryman Yoji (Lily Franky) works in a soulless office, is divorced and lives alone, and occasionally visits his ailing mother in her care home. His discovery of a neighbour’s decomposing corpse causes him to realise that he is perhaps also on the way to a kodokushi – a lonely death – and he decides to heed his mother’s last wish and try to find happiness.
His choice leads him to Manila, Philippines, to reconnect with Minerva (Maria Isabel Lopez), the migrant worker who was his mother’s caregiver in Japan. Being in a different country introduces Yoji to new environments and relationships which are totally different from his life in Japan.
Diamonds in the Sand is director Janus Victoria’s first feature and has been selected to compete in the Sutherland Award category at the festival. Born and raised in Manila, she has previously produced documentaries featuring life in both the Philippines and Japan, and this film contrasts aspects of life in both countries.
The first section of the film follows Yoji in his daily life – the soulless, silent office, his small apartment where he has not yet unpacked his moving boxes, the solitary microwave meals at home. The colour palette is mostly muted, with natural light and calm tones. But when Yoji arrives in Manila, it is a total assault on his senses. The streets are full of life, the sounds of traffic, song and merriment abound, and everywhere seems to be lit by brightly-coloured neon lights. He is immediately invited into Minerva’s circle of family and friends, and suddenly finds himself surrounded by a warmth and vibrancy which he had not realised was absent from his life.
Janus Victoria’s film does not seek to identify one country or community as better or worse than the other – they are contrasted not compared, and there are bad sides to both. The conflict is best highlighted in Minerva’s daughter Angel (Charlie Dizon), a young woman whose father was Japanese but who lives with her mother in the Philippines and who experiences the worst of both worlds.
Diamonds in the Sand is, though, ultimately Yoji’s quest for self-discovery, and Lily Franky is completely wonderful as the lost salaryman on a quiet journey to find happiness.
The film is a worthy selection for the festival, and I will be interested to see what Janus Victoria does in the future.
Diamonds in the Sand is in competition for the Sutherland Award, which recognises the most original and imaginative directorial debut at London Film Festival 2025.
Contrasting locations of Tokyo and Manila form part of Lily Franky’s journey in search of happiness after a couple of sad events touch his life. Janus Victoria’s feature debut Diamonds in the Sand is in competition for the Sutherland Award at London Film Festival.
Salaryman Yoji (Lily Franky) works in a soulless office, is divorced and lives alone, and occasionally visits his ailing mother in her care home. His discovery of a neighbour’s decomposing corpse causes him to realise that he is perhaps also on the way to a kodokushi – a lonely death – and he decides to heed his mother’s last wish and try to find happiness.
His choice leads him to Manila, Philippines, to reconnect with Minerva (Maria Isabel Lopez), the migrant worker who was his mother’s caregiver in Japan. Being in a different country introduces Yoji to new environments and relationships which are totally different from his life in Japan.
Diamonds in the Sand is director Janus Victoria’s first feature and has been selected to compete in the Sutherland Award category at the festival. Born and raised in Manila, she has previously produced documentaries featuring life in both the Philippines and Japan, and this film contrasts aspects of life in both countries.
The first section of the film follows Yoji in his daily life – the soulless, silent office, his small apartment where he has not yet unpacked his moving boxes, the solitary microwave meals at home. The colour palette is mostly muted, with natural light and calm tones. But when Yoji arrives in Manila, it is a total assault on his senses. The streets are full of life, the sounds of traffic, song and merriment abound, and everywhere seems to be lit by brightly-coloured neon lights. He is immediately invited into Minerva’s circle of family and friends, and suddenly finds himself surrounded by a warmth and vibrancy which he had not realised was absent from his life.
Janus Victoria’s film does not seek to identify one country or community as better or worse than the other – they are contrasted not compared, and there are bad sides to both. The conflict is best highlighted in Minerva’s daughter Angel (Charlie Dizon), a young woman whose father was Japanese but who lives with her mother in the Philippines and who experiences the worst of both worlds.
Diamonds in the Sand is, though, ultimately Yoji’s quest for self-discovery, and Lily Franky is completely wonderful as the lost salaryman on a quiet journey to find happiness.
The film is a worthy selection for the festival, and I will be interested to see what Janus Victoria does in the future.
Diamonds in the Sand is in competition for the Sutherland Award, which recognises the most original and imaginative directorial debut at London Film Festival 2025.
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