There have been many films recently about young women crossing the border from Mexico to the United States and coming across someone whose attitude towards illegal immigrants softens considerably after the chance meeting. But Carmen is something different entirely, an update of much older material, based on a Seville-set novella and opera from the 1800s by Prosper Mérimée. This time the setting is present day in surroundings that will be more familiar to audiences but just as enchanting…
Carmen (Melissa Barrera) is forced to flee her home on the run from a violent cartel, and she happens to cross into the United States on the same night that Aidan (Paul Mescal), a Marine, is riding around with trigger-happy Border Patrol civilian support. When Aidan, without thinking, shoots the man who tries to chase and attack Carmen, the two become linked, going on the run together and forming an almost entirely unspoken bond as they continue moving, barely stopping to contemplate what their futures might be.
It’s clear from the opening scene of this film that it doesn’t take a typical approach to anything. Carmen’s mother is seen dancing passionately and furiously as two men approach her with brutal intent, and Carmen pays tribute to her before leaving home for good. Aidan’s interactions with his sister and other veterans are more standard, but he isn’t really present, haunted by his experiences at war. So little is said between Carmen and Aidan as they move from place to place, yet the way they relate to each other is conveyed magnificently through performance art and dance.
Barrera had a great showcase in last year’s movie version of In the Heights, and she’s a natural fit for her role here, too. The bigger surprise might be Mescal, star of the terrific Normal People, who dons an American accent and demonstrates an incredible ability to thrive in this very specific genre, poignantly signing while playing guitar and, at times, seamlessly joining in with the choreography.
Debut filmmaker Benjamin Millepied, who worked previously as a dancer and choreographer on Black Swan, astounds with a captivating and dreamlike ode to heritage, one that maintains a loose narrative as it stops frequently to spend time with the people whose stories it is telling. Audiences looking for a straightforward love story won’t find it here since these two are doomed almost from the start, but this film isn’t about that as much as it is about two people forced to abandon what they know best and working to find it again in some way. Carmen is haunting and difficult to shake, an immersive and captivating visual and emotional experience. B+
Carmen is screening in the Discovery category at TIFF and will be released by Sony Pictures Classics in 2023.