Carmen

Name: Carmen
Genre: Drama, Musical
Released: April 21, 2023
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 59
Cast: Benedict Hardie, Elsa Pataky, Kaan Guldur, Melissa Barrera, Nicole da Silva

2023

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: April 21, 2023 | R

Starring: Benedict Hardie, Elsa Pataky, Kaan Guldur, Melissa Barrera, Nicole da Silva, Paul Mescal, Pip Edwards, Richard Brancatisano, Rossy de Palma, Tara Morice

Summary: Carmen (Melissa Barrera) survives a terrifying and dangerous illegal border crossing into the US, only to be confronted by a lawless volunteer border guard who cold-bloodedly murders two other immigrants in her group. When the border guard and his patrol partner, Aidan (Paul Mescal)—a Marine with PTSD—become embroiled in a deadly standoff,Carmen (Melissa Barrera) survives a terrifying and dangerous illegal border crossing into the US, only to be confronted by a lawless volunteer border guard who cold-bloodedly murders two other immigrants in her group. When the border guard and his patrol partner, Aidan (Paul Mescal)—a Marine with PTSD—become embroiled in a deadly standoff, Carmen and Aidan are forced to escape together. They make their way north toward Los Angeles in search of Carmen’s mother’s best friend, the mercurial Masilda and owner of La Sombra nightclub - a sanctuary of music and dance. Carmen and Aidan find both solace and their unwavering love for each other in the safety of Masilda’s magical refuge, but time is running out as the police hunt closes in.… Expand

Director: Benjamin Millepied

Genre(s): Drama, Musical

Rating: R

Runtime: 116 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Odie Henderson

May 5, 2023

Admittedly, Carmen is an acquired taste. But if you’re in the mood for something that will stun your senses, I highly recommended it. Read full review

Tomris Laffly

Apr 28, 2023

Even when Carmen occasionally hits some narrative roadblocks with the trio of writers not knowing how to fluently weave together dance and plot, Barrera and Mescal consistently burn the screen, and our foolish hearts. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Apr 24, 2023

You’ll see lots of movies in 2023, and you’ll forget most of them. But Carmen is so sincerely passionate and peculiar that you’re bound to remember it. Read full review

Fay Watson

May 23, 2023

Despite the leads’ chemistry, Carmen doesn’t manage to turn these sparks of brilliance into something bigger. The focus on dance over dialogue doesn't help a meandering plot that never feels like it’s getting anywhere. And while the Mexican/US border offers ripe context for political discourse, the script only scratches the thematic surface. Read full review

Robyn Quick

Jun 1, 2023

Millepied’s foray into directing does well to shine the spotlight on Barrera and Mescal’s chemistry, as well as demonstrating how you can tell a story through movement alone. Read full review

Guy Lodge

Apr 21, 2023

This flamenco-inspired Carmen is often strangely shy about its terpsichorean impulses, with dance sequences functioning as isolated, somewhat haphazard setpieces rather than as a consistent storytelling medium. Read full review

Robert Abele

Apr 11, 2023

Millepied’s debut . . . is a woefully pretentious and uninvolving slog, an arthouse screen-saver only sporadically ignited by its two best components: composer Nicholas Britell and Almodovar regular Rossy de Palma as a flamboyant nightclub owner-performer. Read full review

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User Reviews

MovieReviewMave

Aug 7, 2023

IN A NUTSHELL:

Congratulations to dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied in his directorial debut. He reimagines the famous French opera Carmen into a modern dreamscape with original songs and musical score. Writing credits go to Loic Barrere, Alexander Dinelaris, and Lisa Loomer.IN A NUTSHELL:

Congratulations to dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied in his directorial debut. He reimagines the famous French opera Carmen into a modern dreamscape with original songs and musical score.
Writing credits go to Loic Barrere, Alexander Dinelaris, and Lisa Loomer.

THINGS I LIKED:

I'm such a fan of Melissa Barrera. As soon as I saw she was in this, I was all in. She gets better and better with each of her films. She can sing, dance, and act like a pro. Beyond that, she looks a lot like my son's girlfriend from Cuba!
The haunting musical score by Nicholas Britell is excellent.
When I lived in Spain, I went to Flamenco dance lessons! It was fun and interesting to see that element embedded into the story. The woman at the beginning of the movie was really great.
The movie is supposed to take place around the Mexican/US border somewhere, but the movie was actually filmed in Oz, Australia.
There's an interesting scene where one character washes another's feet and rubs them with oil, reminiscent of Jesus Christ anointing the feet of His disciples.
The fight scene was cleverly done in dance form.
All of the choreography is just beautiful to watch. Dancers will love that element of the movie. It's fun to watch how the story moves forward with what we learn in the dance sequences, as well as how things are "said" through dance.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:

The first 11 minutes are in Spanish. We hear accents and voices from Mexico mostly, but also from Spain.
Those who are unfamiliar with the French opera, Carmen, won't have a clue what's going on in the beginning or how it relates to the opera.
It would have been nice to have some singing at the beginning of the film. We don't hear a song until 15 minutes into the movie.
This is definitely an artsy-fartsy film that won't be everyone's cup of tea.
I hated seeing Melissa Barrera smoke and go topless. (Yep, that's the protective mother in me.)

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be extremely bored.
We see a one-legged man in a wheelchair
Racist names for Mexicans
A lot of Spanish is spoken without subtitles
We see an unmarried couple take off their clothes (pants on)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Jul 25, 2023

Aside from being known as Natalie Portman's husband, Benjamin Millepied is a highly regarded dancer and choreographer. However, it's essential to acknowledge that this doesn't necessarily translate to proficiency as a film director.

Carmen is a visually captivating film that boasts anAside from being known as Natalie Portman's husband, Benjamin Millepied is a highly regarded dancer and choreographer. However, it's essential to acknowledge that this doesn't necessarily translate to proficiency as a film director.

Carmen is a visually captivating film that boasts an engaging style. The two lead actors, Melissa Barrera and Paul Mescal, do their best to immerse themselves in the atmosphere. However, despite these elements, the film fails to breathe life into its story. It never gets the spark that would make it explode and, at times, seems to stagnate without making any significant breakthroughs.

While it may pique your interest due to its deviation from typical mainstream offerings, it's worth noting that Carmen is not a film that readily opens its doors to friendliness or accessibility.

However, even if the film doesn't intrigue you, I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack, which proves to be the standout feature of the movie. Personally, I discovered the soundtrack first, and it motivated me to give the film a chance.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

bertobellamy

Jul 7, 2023

The photography and sound design are cool, but the acting and the writing are bad. Paul Mescal is on autopilot, and Melissa Barrera's performance doesn't transmit much. So much style over substance

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