CARMEN
France/Australia/US, 2022, 116 minutes, Colour.
Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal, Rossy de Palmer, Elsa Pataki, Benedict Hardie, Tara Morice.
Directed by Benjamin Millepied.
This interpretation of the Carmen story, based on Prosper Merimee’s 1845 novel with influences by Pushkin’s story, The Gypsy, rather than be says Opera, will be an acquired taste. With the French born choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, now working in the US, directing his first feature film after music videos, a huge emphasis in this version is dance.
Yet, one could describe the visual style and the staging of particular scenes as “operatic”, stylised, set pieces, larger than life. And, yet, many of the sequences are presented with a sense of “realism”. But, interspersed are touches of magic realism, ghostly appearances, scenes of fire, memories. The Internet Movie Database offers a summary: Benjamin Millepied's complete reimagining of CARMEN tells a story through an experimental dreamscape featuring an original score and songs. Yes, an experimental dreamscape.
And dance. This is a story of a young dancer, Carmen, Mexican, her flamenco-dancing mother, menaced by a young boy from the cartels shooting her. Her mother has urged her to go to Los Angeles, to find her friend, managing a nightclub there, Massilda. But, she has to get through the border, a dreary desert outpost, staffed by former soldiers to ward off migrants, violently. One of the soldiers is Aidan, a retired Marine, relying on his sister, with some friends, a boxer, but depressed in being stranded on the border.
As regards the drama, touches of melodrama, there is shooting at the border, Aidan defending some of the refugees, helping Carmen, driving away. They helped on the road by friendly taxi driver whose name is Angel. And another dancer friend drives them to Los Angeles. Which means than a lot of the film takes place within the nightclub, quite a range of dance which should exhilarate audiences who have come for the dancing. Aidan hangs out but feels the police will be after Carmen and himself and wants to move on. He gets an opportunity for getting some money from a friend who sponsors bareknuckle fighting – which provides something of a climax for the film, but presented, as is some of the other dancing, with ballet style, but this crowd excited by the violence, a stomping dance sequence.
Melissa Barrera (In the Heights, Scream) is a dramatic Carmen. Paul Mescal (Normal People, After some) blends passive moments with active moments. But, a star for Pedro Almodovar for many decades, Rossy de Palms, draws audience attention more than the star-crossed lovers. She is a powerful presence even when not singing or dancing. Elsa Pataki has a good role as the assistant at the nightclub. Carmen was filmed in Australia in 2021, the Broken Hill area for the desert sequences, some drab Sydney locations for the nightclub and the boxing. And many Australian actors, including Tara Morice, and dancers in the cast.
There are several songs, a great deal of choral chant throughout (incorporating some of the Bizet lyrics), but the strong impact is of the musical score itself, by Nicholas Brittell, powerful at times, the score seeming to drive on the action and the drama.
Some audiences have been enraptured, others alienated, and all stops in between.
1. The original novel, Bizet’s Opera, the many adaptations, films of the Opera, Carmen Jones in the 1950s? This new interpretation?
2. The work of the director, his reputation as a choreographer, his first feature film, his experience in music videos? Collaboration with the screenplay? The introduction of music, songs, their range, the choral background, the driving musical score? His interaction of dance, the range of dance, flamenco, modern dance, ballet, stomping dance…? The insertion of songs and dance into the screenplay and narrative?
3. The adaptation of the original story, the role of Carmen, the touch of the femme fatale, the soldier, love, danger?
4. The realistic, surrealistic settings, the desert (Australia standing in for Mexico), the drab border situation, the visuals, Los Angeles, the streets, the nightclub, the bareknuckle fighting? The comment on the experimental dreamscape? The move from realism to the surreal, to touches of magic realism, the importance of fire, the sparks, the ordinary slit, the burning globe…? Ghostly appearances?
5. Carmen, her relationship with her mother, her mother dancing, the little boy, shooting her, the Mexican cartels, the danger for Carmen, going to the border, the encounter with Aiden, the crossing of the border, the military patrol, the shootings, Aidan helping her, the truck, the taxi and Angel driving, his support, the dancer and his driving, arriving in Los Angeles, the goal of the meeting Masilda? The club, her being given refuge, Aiden with her, the bond with Michelle, memories of her mother, in the club, Gabriele, the dances? Carmen and the relationship with Aiden? The dancing? The need for escape, farewelling Must still do, going to the boxing, the pursuit, Aiden shot, the surrealism of the final dance between the two? Her future?
6. Aiden, Marine background, his service, the effect, with the others at the border, the patrol, their attitudes, his injured friend, reliance on his sister, life on the border, the patrols, attitude towards the refugees, the violence and the shooting? His helping Carmen, the escape, the taxi, the drive to Los Angeles, finding the nightclub, must still do welcoming him, his observing Carmen at the nightclub, the sexual encounter, his fear for the police pursuing, needing money, going to his friend, the arrangement for the bareknuckle fighting, his taking Carmen, the fight and its brutality, getting the money, the police arriving, the chase, the shooting, his being wounded, with Carmen, the symbolism of the final dance?
7. Miss older, her friendship with Carmen’s mother, the nightclub, her appearance, command, singing, dance? Support of Carmen? The farewell?
8. The people at the nightclub, Gabriel, the dances, the rooms of the club, the dance area, the theatrical area, performance?
9. Audience response in terms of the drama and melodrama, in terms of the dreamscape, the experimental style of the film, the musical score, the songs, the range of dancing?
