'Carmen' Review: Melissa Barrera And Paul Mescal Dance To Nowhere In Musical Drama
The opening moments of "Carmen" feature Benjamin Millepied's directorial debut Yes? A reinterpretation of the opera of the same name, The world we perceive seems vast and destructive. The Mexican desert stretches in all directions, but the beauty of the landscape is marred by danger on the horizon. Death comes for the dancer we see before the shooting, which sends her mother Carmen ( Melissa Barrera ) abducting and on a perilous journey across the border. As he leaves the wreckage of his life behind, he begins to feel smaller and smaller, providing a poignant yet hopeful start to the film. While often a visual feast for the eyes, the magic it tries to create is undermined by a pedestrian story that never breaks the surface. A well-choreographed musical by Nicholas Brittel with a solid score, it never becomes an emotional experience during its nearly two-hour running time.
The real inspiring event that will have a big impact on the film is another brutal shootout that could be ripped from the finale of the final season of Better Call Saul . It follows Aidan ( Paul Meskal ), a lazy, unemployed veteran who reluctantly joins a group of racists who take it upon themselves to brutally patrol the border at night. When they encounter Carmen and a group of people hiding in a truck, the man starts shooting. A body falls and Aidan is shocked by what happened. While he gets caught up in his own business, he tries to defuse the situation without more bloodshed by pointing a gun at Carmen from behind and firing a shotgun. This scene becomes the first of many that feels so cheesy and shallow because of how violent it wants to be. Despite some improvements in presentation, the drama feels completely ordinary, with Carmen and Aidan trying to move to Los Angeles to escape the law enforcement. Sometimes there are twists and turns on the road, although it seems that everything that has already happened has been planned.
The film draws several comparisons to the work of Terrence Malick , which, while understandable on the surface, simultaneously underestimates the director and overestimates his achievements. If you're looking for a film worthy of comparison with its own unique vision, All the Dirty Roads A Taste of Salt is absolutely worth it. Of course, that's a lofty standard, as not all debut films can be such masterpieces, but Carmen is forever missing something. There are some great visuals as the characters travel across the country, but they lack a larger poem. The film's pacing is confusing, dragging us between scenes that feel forced rather than natural. Whenever we seem more committed to stimulating, free-flowing sequences, we resort to the isolation of more domestic themes. Sometimes it even happens in the middle of a scene where the dialogue serves no purpose other than repeating the machinations of the plot. The deeper you try to search, the less sensitive material you will be exposed to.
This is despite the efforts of Mescal and Barrera, as each of them can bring more to their characters without any dialogue. While the film still doesn't explore their characters beyond broad strokes, both make their presence felt in the smallest of moments. Such reviews are not surprising, since they are all great with Mezcal, one of the best parts of last year's impressive Aftersun and Barrera's recent Scream VI . The problem is that Carmen destroys the talent and chemistry between them. Despite feeling the energy vibration between them, there is something wrong with the experience.
The slow-motion scene at the end of the two walking down the street praying is more moving than moving. Since the next interview is initially filmed from a distance, you have a hard time catching their expressions. While this is a stylistic choice, it is done with little thought or interest in the inner qualities of the characters. In a weird way, it's almost similar to the Copenhagen Cowboys series, if not the same tone. Whenever something can be grasped, it quickly slips through his fingers. Even in ordinary magic, there are no accidental moments of magical realism.
When the camera stops moving people, it turns into an impromptu fight sequence that doubles as a dance fight, and there's a sharp dynamism that makes it clear it's too late. Then the movie forces us and the characters to fight for money, making it hard to understand what it's about. Especially the last shot, when it is clear what will end, is still sudden. This was not only because of the last act, but also because it was no longer drawn. After combining such promising writing with Mezcal and Barrera's powerfully engaging visuals, any surprises Carmen releases are up in the air.
Rating: C-
Carmen is in the theater now.
