Dancing is a lovely art form and has always been a vehement method in sharing stories when words can’t possibly do it justice. Distinguished choreographer and director Benjamin Millepied knows this all too well. So it makes perfect sense for him to make his feature debut with this modern reimagining of French composer Georges Bizet’s classic opera that was first performed in Paris in 1875. It’s a highly stylized, dreamlike film with gorgeous imagery and terrific interpretative dance moves; though, what Millepied sacrifices is plot and character development/chemistry. Without these key components…it’s impossible to get fully swept off your feet by Carmen.
Carmen (Melissa Barrera) is a free-spirited young woman living in the Mexican desert who makes a break for the American border after the murder of her mother. After illegally crossing onto US soil, she’s hunted by volunteer border patrol guards who shoot to kill. Aidan (Paul Mescal), a Marine veteran with PTSD, is a newcomer to the group as he and his sister need money desperately. When Carmen is caught by his partner, Aidan is quick to pull the trigger – killing him and protecting her. Now as they each find themselves running from the law, they head to the City of Angels where her enigmatic godmother, Masilda (Rossy de Palma), resides and runs a nightclub. Aidan and Carmen fall in love while she dances to heal her heartache and he bare knuckle fights for cash to fund whatever sort of future they have together.
Carmen clearly lives for the music and Nicholas Britell’s immaculate score creates a sublime sense of desire, romance, fear and excitement. Unfortunately, those feelings never stick around long enough to feel immersed in Carmen and Aidan’s star-crossed lovers story. The script won’t allow it, removing the raw emotion out of the film almost entirely. In spite of that, this is a topping showcase for Barrera. She’s a triple threat (acting, singing, and dancing) while having us empathize with Carmen as she seeks to outrun the unbearable hurt she’s encountered.
Likewise, hot off of his Oscar nomination for Aftersun – Mescal delivers another splendid performance where his steaminess and masculinity is matched by his inner sensitivity. The passion shared between him and the fantabulous Barrera is sensual but should be much stronger. Millepied has committed the ultimate sin if he can’t get sparks flying between such two magnetic individuals.
In the end, while there’s plenty of visual splendor to take pleasure in, Millepied’s version comes off as shallow, uninspiring, and unable to establish a true identity. There’s a fieriness in Carmen that appears easy to capture but somehow is extinguished through creative distractions that, while beautiful and ambitious, do not have the power to persuade us on how we should feel. It becomes just one more thing to further disconnect us from Aidan and Carmen, killing the romance in the process.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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