...and just like that, in 2015, Diego Garcia sprung forth from the lower leagues of Latin American arthouse cinema, elected as Sayombhu Mukdeeprom's (temporary) successor on the films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul. For a grand debut on the international scene, you can do a lot worse than Cemetery of Splendour, and he kept it up with that same year's Neon Bull, finding a kindred spirit in director Gabriel Mascaro, with whom he reunited on last year's Divine Love.
Garcia's few titles in the last five years have been among the most visually dazzling, each with their own distinct and appropriate style, though each with a unifying visual thread in Garcia's shimmering, glowing compositions. It makes sense that he'd be hired by Michael Mann for the pilot episode of his upcoming TV series, Tokyo Vice. For such a young artist to be recruited for one of the cinema's great director's legacy project is a testament to Garcia's visionary brilliance. He's one of the top DPs around, and will continue to be one to watch for the rest of his career.
Films featured
Cemetery of Splendour, 2015
Neon Bull, 2015
Wildlife, 2018
Our Time, 2018
Divine Love, 2019