Carmen

TIFF: Nicholas Britell goes absolutely wild in Benjamin Millepied's delirious fever dream version of his favorite childhood opera.

The dance numbers at the nightclub blur together in a languorous haze as the sisterhood that Masilda provides is never afforded the spectacle it needs to come to life in the same way as the movie’s first half. Mescal may not be a trained dancer, but he’s too good of an actor for that to matter; he moves with the kind of militaristic physicality the way that an ex-soldier would, exuding a strength that gets transformed into love right before our eyes. It’s a shame that the film’s second half boxes Widmer’s camera in, as Millepied’s story loses much of its narrative momentum when Aidan and Carmen finally arrive at the La Sombra Pederosa nightclub, where Carmen’s flamboyant godmother Masilda (Almodóvar mainstay Rossy de Palma) is waiting to take them under her wing. That febrile texture is only sustained for as long as it is thanks to the enormous assist that “Carmen” gets from Britell’s tempestuous score, which was conceived in tandem with the script and creates veritable sandstorms from violins and a French-language children’s choir. It’s there, in what looks like the remnants of last year’s Burning Man, that Barerra wordlessly launches herself into a spinning piece of long-take choreography that already shows her character finding strength in community, and resolve in defiance. Imagine watching Terrence Malick’s “Badlands” and Julie Taymor’s “Titus” double-projected on the same screen and you might have a vague idea of the strange no-man’s land that Millepied’s debut feature begins dancing across from the moment it starts.

For questionable reasons, some very talented people got it into their heads that it would be a great idea to redress Georges Bizet's classic 1875 musical ...

But the original’s music is sorely missed, and the limited appeal of the two leads never ignites into a relationship that galvanizes your emotional interest. When, at last, they finally arrive at the nightclub, which is unaccountably large and fancy given its dicey location, music and dance take over for a while. The introduction of the U.S.-Mexican border issue theoretically introduces a new and topical dramatic element to the perennial story, but it all feels quite concocted and is peopled mostly by cliched suspicious types. Yes, their predicament is dire and they must suffer to survive, but the writing and acting don’t begin to measure up to the occasion. Another guard, Aidan (Paul Mescal), is a marine with PTSD, and he and Carmen end up escaping the border scene together to look for Carmen’s mother’s best friend, the owner of La Sombra, a local would-be sanctuary of music and dance. There’s also something “off” about the look of the town where the desperate couple finally ends up and are able to perform in a way that’s long been delayed.

Toronto Film Festival 2022: Choreographer Benjamin Millepied's choppy directorial debut even bobbles the dancing, although Rossy de Palma's club queen ...

And in an otherwise unremarkable score too enamored of its choral voices, the music accompanying de Palma is Britell’s shining moment, too — a softly driving, Spanish-inflected strings-and-percussion theme you won’t mind lingering in your head long after you’ve forgotten the rest of this choppy, hollow “Carmen.” It may be Millepied’s biggest problem that if you’re reworking one of opera’s most galvanizing, full-blooded female characters for your consciously arty update, giving an up-and-coming performer like Barrera little to work with beyond a lackluster midnight dance here, an unmemorable song there, and a lot of running, is certainly a choice. It even dissatisfies when the meager story recedes to showcase singing and dancing — nearly always haphazardly shot with a restless, roving camera — and, in one case toward the end, rapping, when veteran hip-hop star The D.O.C. and we get the full flower of de Palma’s irreverent magnetism as Masilda, Carmen’s protective, affirming spirit whisperer, through whom Barrera’s thinly drawn protagonist is meant to achieve her destiny as her mother’s daughter, but also herself, whoever that is. But the energy in that scene is too little, too late. Then we see a black-clad woman (Marina Tamayo) with piercing eyes performing a flamenco outdoors, until gunmen drive up and shoot her.

Director Benjamin Millepid and stars Melissa Barrera and Paul Mescal discuss their film 'Carmen' at TIFF 2022.

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To escape a murderous cartel, the captivating young Carmen (Barrera) is northbound, her route traversing an area patrolled by the US government and fanatical ...

There, she links up with Aiden (Mescal), and the two make a run for it to Los Angeles. [2022 Toronto Film Festival](https://www.justjared.com/tags/2022-toronto-film-festival/), [Benjamin Millepied](https://www.justjared.com/tags/benjamin-millepied/), [Melissa Barrera](https://www.justjared.com/tags/melissa-barrera/), [Natalie Portman](https://www.justjared.com/tags/natalie-portman/), [Paul Mescal](https://www.justjared.com/tags/paul-mescal/), [Rossy de Palma](https://www.justjared.com/tags/rossy-de-palma/), [Toronto Film Festival](https://www.justjared.com/tags/toronto-film-festival/) [Melissa Barrera](https://www.justjared.com/tags/melissa-barrera/), [Paul Mescal](https://www.justjared.com/tags/paul-mescal/) and [Rossy de Palma](https://www.justjared.com/tags/rossy-de-palma/) on the red carpet. [Natalie Portman](https://www.justjared.com/tags/natalie-portman/) keeps close to husband [Benjamin Millepied](https://www.justjared.com/tags/benjamin-millepied/) at the premiere of Carmen during the [2022 Toronto Film Festival](https://www.justjared.com/tags/2022-toronto-film-festival/) at TIFF Bell Lightbox on Sunday (September 11) in Toronto, Canada.

Natalie Portman stuns in shimmering dress as she and husband Benjamin Millepied lead the stars for Carmen premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Iconic: She stars in Carmen as the title character, who goes on a journey from Mexican deserts to Los Angeles. Youthful: The legendary Spanish actress Rossy de Palma looked playful in a black mini dress with a sheet top over her chest and shoulders and a feathered skirt and sleeves The legendary Spanish actress Rossy de Palma looked playful in a black mini dress with a sheet top over her chest and shoulders and a feathered skirt and sleeves.