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Recently the trailer for the upcoming operatic film production of Carmen made the rounds on the internet offering audiences a sneak peek into the devasting world of its lead character, Carmen. Forced to flee her home in the Mexican desert, Carmen has no choice but to trust her independent spirit and fierce senses as she makes her way up north to Los Angeles. But what started out as a journey to find shelter and safety immediately turns into a dangerous manhunt by the authorities. Time is slowly running out for our dear Carmen. With two of the biggest rising stars, Paul Mescal and Melissa Barrera, headlining the film, there has been plenty of interest surrounding the new film.
With its limited release approaching soon, here's everything we know so far about Carmen.
Is There a Trailer for Carmen?
The full trailer for Carmen was released by Sony Pictures Classic on March 10, 2023. The trailer opens with an eerily beautiful scene of an elderly woman dressed in black, dancing in the middle of the Mexican desert. The tranquility is soon broken as the trailer switches its focus onto Carmen, one of the two main characters of the story. Following the death of her mother, she destroys everything that’s left of her run-down house and embarks on a tumultuous adventure to the city of angels all by herself.
During a deadly illegal border crossing, in which she was almost killed by a guard, Aidan - a former Marine - stands in the way and ends up saving Carmen, and ultimately becomes a fellow target by the police. Finding love, solace, and sanctuary in the unlikeliest of places, the trailer for Carmen offers a strikingly haunting glimpse of what it means to find a human connection while your lives are at stake. With an operatic score and stage-like visual aesthetic, Carmen feels more reminiscent of a theatrical production than an actual movie.
What Is Carmen About?
Below is the official synopsis for Carmen:
“Benjamin Millepied’s Carmen is a gritty modern day tale, with a majestic score by Nicholas Britell, and dream-like dance sequences that evoke magic realism. The story follows a young and fiercely independent woman who is forced to flee her home in the Mexican desert following the brutal murder of her mother, another strong and mysterious woman. Carmen 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—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.”
Carmen is described to be based on Georges Bizet’s opera based on the same name. First performed in Paris in 1875, the original opera comprises four acts and remains one of the most popular and frequently staged works in the operatic repertoire. Its plot revolves around the tragic downfall of Don José, a soldier who falls passionately in love with Carmen, a beautiful and free-spirited gypsy woman. Carmen is known for her flirtatious and headstrong nature, and she quickly grows tired of Don José's possessive behavior as she has no interest in traditional relationships. Eventually, she becomes romantically involved with the toreador Escamillo, which triggers Don José's uncontrollable jealousy.
However, the movie adaptation is considered to be a “complete re-imagining” that doesn’t follow the opera’s original plot and setting. The film is said to maintain the opera’s “selected lyrics” from its libretto, which is sung in the original French by a background choir.
Where and When Can You Watch Carmen?
Carmen already had its world premiere back in September 2022, with a showing at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie is set for a limited theatrical release on 21 April 2023 in the United States, specifically in New York and Los Angeles, with its distribution by Sony Pictures Classic. This will be followed by an international theatrical release in France, set for 14 June 2023 with its distribution by Pathé Distribution.
Who Is Making Carmen?
Carmen marks Benjamin Millepied’s directorial debut. Originally a dancer and choreographer, Millepied serves as a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet from 2003 to 2011. Besides his work in various dance companies, he has also been involved in the choreography for movies like The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and Black Swan, the latter earning Natalie Portman an Academy Award for Best Actress.
During the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, at the Collider Supper Suite and Media Studio at Marbl, Millipied discussed how Carmen was his inaugural feature project and described the process of finding it:
“It’s a lot of work and a lot of luck. I had been shooting dance films, little short films for a long time. This had been maturing in my head for some time as well. I think it’s how you explain the vision and I found a producer who believed in the idea and gave me the freedom to do it, Dimitri Rassam. I was very, very fortunate. It’s madness. Making a film is like building a company from scratch with people you’ve never met and so it’s an insane enterprise.”
Plans for a film adaptation of Carmen go way back to May 2017, in which Millepied envisioned the movie as “a modern-day reimagining of one of the world’s most celebrated operas”. The screenplay is written by Millepied himself, along with Alexander Dinelaris and Loïc Barrère. Dinelaris is best known for co-writing the screenplay for the 2014 film Birdman, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Barrère’s work has earned him a César Award for Best Cinematography for his involvement in Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
Carmen’s original score is courtesy of renowned composer Nicholas Britell. Britell has received several accolades for his work, including Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score for Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. He’s also earned an Emmy Award for his scoring on three seasons of HBO’s Succession.
Who’s in the Cast of Carmen?
Melissa Barrera stars as Carmen, a young woman who has no choice but to leave her home in Mexico after the murder of her mother. Barrera received recognition for her role as Lyn Hernandez in the Starz television series Vida and as Vanessa in the film adaptation of In the Heights. However, her most iconic role to date is none other than Samantha “Sam” Carpenter from the Scream franchise.
Paul Mescal takes on the role of Aidan, a former Marine with PTSD, who finds himself literally at crossroads when his partner on the border control threatens Carmen’s life. Mescal wasn’t the first choice for Aidan, with the role originally belonging to Jamie Dornan. Fresh off his Oscar nomination for the highly praised and equally heartbreaking Aftersun, Mescal is no stranger to the acting and theater world. Following the success of his role in Normal People, he has been involved in the stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Rossy de Palma plays Masilda, the best friend of Carmen’s late mother and the owner of La Sombra nightclub. De Palma is best known for her collaborations with the Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar. The actress began her career as a model and muse to the fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier in the 1980s. She later transitioned to acting and made her film debut in Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. She is a well-respected figure in the Spanish art world and has been awarded the French Legion of Honour for her contributions to the arts.