It is safe to say that Paul Mescal has already captured the hearts of many viewers of Normal People and in the Film Twitter community thanks to Aftersun. However can he dance his way into the heart of Melissa Barrera’s Carmen, and at what cost, in Benjamin Millepied’s adaptation of the famous opera.
Carmen, a young and fiercely independent woman, is forced to flee her home in the Mexican desert following the brutal murder of her mother. After surviving a terrifying and dangerous illegal border crossing into the U.S., she is captured by a fierce border patrol agent, but saved by his partner, Aidan, who helps Carmen escape. They make their way north toward Los Angeles in search of her mother’s best friend and the owner of La Sombra nightclub, a sanctuary of music and dance. But while the pair find solace and love for each other in this magical refuge, time is running out as the police hunt closes in.
The feature debut of Benjamin Millepied, who co-starred in, and choreographed the Oscar-winning film Black Swan. Naturally he opts to tell the story through the medium of dance and movement instead of arias. That isn’t to say the music is not important. It fuses many musical styles including flamenco, salsa, acoustic guitar and even rap to complement the differences between the two lead characters. Inspirations for this romantic road movie gravitate towards the Lynchian. However more often than not, it lacks the emotional and narrative impact. The result is a case of style over substance.
Thankfully the film is grounded by its two lead actors, Barrera and Mescal. Both bring a brooding intensity to their performances, which are predominantly silent. Not only partly separated by the language barrier, the way they express their emotions is at polar opposites. Carmen uses her feet whilst Aidan is through his fists. However it is a case of opposites attract as the two pulled together by a force stronger than gravity.
Whilst their passion burns bright, is the future as bright for these star-crossed lovers (or should that be border-crossed)? It is arguably not a spoiler to say that anyone who is familiar with the story of Carmen will not be expecting them to ride off into the sunset together. Operas by their very nature tend to, more often than not, fall into the tragedy rather than the comedy category.
As with all cinematic love stories, whether they end with a “happily ever after” or not, it is about the journey not the destination. One of the reasons this love story captivates is Nicholas Britell.
One of the best composers working today (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk, Andor) and riding high thanks to Succession. He is arguably the best when it comes to his use of strings and he pulls on the audience’s heartstrings with yet another sumptuous, evocative score.
Carmen is an ambitious adaptation of a classic story. One that does put the odd foot wrong but proves a strong showcase for its lead actors.
Dazzler Media presents Carmen in selected UK cinemas from 2nd June
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Director: Benjamin Millepied
Stars: Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal, Elsa Pataky, Rossy De Palma
Runtime: 116 minutes
Country: USA
