Luck was on the side of Carmen director Benjamin Millepied. His two leads, Paul Mescal and Melissa Barrera, are both riding hot streaks at the same time. Mescal for his roles in God’s Creatures and Aftersun; Barrera for In the Heights and a pair of Scream movies. They should make for a scorching pair in Millepied’s gritty, contemporary take on Georges Bizet‘s opera.
Here’s the official synopsis: 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.
While the attention is rightfully on Mescal and Barrera, they are surrounded by a solid cast of Elsa Pataky, Rossy de Palma, Nicole da Silva, Tara Morice, Kaan Guldur, Richard Brancastisano, Benedict Hardie, and Pip Edwards.
Carmen opens in LA and NYC theaters on April 21st, with a wider rollout to follow.
