Carmen Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Carmen Blu-ray Movie Review

Not your typical romantic drama...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 19, 2023

There's been so much argument and debate about the U.S./Mexico border crisis (already a loaded word, depending on your politics) that it's become next to impossible to see the actual men, women and children fleeing God knows what with a guarantee of very little, other than an escape from what lies behind. It should be first and foremost a perilous human issue; one that deals in nuance and asks important questions about compassion, benevolence and empathy, alongside of practical challenges like housing, food and clothing, medical care and education. Instead it becomes a rallying cry to two extremes, each one competing for the moral high ground. And so we come to contradiction after contradiction. A religion that teaches kindness, caring for the poor, and protecting the immigrant (which despite being obvious, I won't name in this context) is hard-heartedly determined to keep out the invaders, to toss children in inhumane holding cells, to separate families and to bar people from the freedom of a country that was once based on opening its arms to those from faraway lands. Up is down, down is up. Cognitive dissonance reigns supreme. And real people are being hurt and neglected in the process.

That's the story of Carmen. And if the previous paragraph boiled your blood, well, this isn't a film for you. This is about the spiritual immigrants within the physical immigrants; the artists, pure hearts and wanderers who don't deserve to be treated like animals yet find themselves between the deadly rock of their former home and the dangerous hard place ahead of them. Oh yeah, did I mention it's an at-times surrealist musical with dance numbers that serve as choreographed metaphors for emotional turmoil and exultation? That's probably an important detail.

Official Synopsis: 'Carmen' 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. Carmen (Melissa Barrera) 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 (Paul Mescal) -- a Marine with PTSD -- become embroiled in a deadly standoff, Carmen and Aidan are forced to escape together. They make their way north towards Los Angeles in search of Carmen’s mother’s best friend, the mercurial Masilda (Rossy de Palma) and owner of La Sombra nightclub, a sanctuary of music and dance. Carmen and Aidan find both solace and their unwavering love for one another in the safety of Masilda’s magical refuge, but time is running out as the police hunt closes in. Co-written and directed by Benjamin Millepied, 'Carmen' also stars Marina de Tavira, Marina Tamayo, Nico Cortez, Erick Granados-Gavito, Benedict Hardie, Pip Edwards, Kevin MacIsaac, Nicole da Silva, Damien Thomlinson and Tara Morice.

Illegal border crossing may seem like a strange setup to a romantic drama but I was shocked at how well it worked, how immersed in Carmen's plight I became, and how much the story moved me. Granted, I already came to the film with strong feelings on the subject of immigration; feelings the film only bolster. But there's a depth and power to the love that develops between Carmen and Aiden, and it pulled me further and further into their peril until I was fully invested, not just in her escape, but in the survival of their blooming relationship. Even when they find a brief respite with de Palma's Masilda, the sparks keep on flying, allowing the chemistry between Barrera and Mescal to crackle, sizzle and flash to life. I believed in their love. I believed in everything that was bringing them closer together; the music, the songs, the dance. And I am not typically a sucker for any of these things. And yet here I was, leaning forward, hoping beyond hope that this refuge would remain safe and intact long enough for the lovers to find a way through it all.

Yes, Millepied and co-writers Alexander Dinelaris and Loïc Barrère lay it all on thick at times, particularly when tense conflict and heartache lead into slow motion dance numbers. And yes, cinematographer Jörg Widmer and composer Nicholas Britell are more than happy to lend borderline melodramatic flourish to the budding then flourishing musical romanticism. It isn't so much a problem as it is a genre staple, and Carmen only struggles when it relies on cliches that have been well worn in other star-crossed tales. If there's a saving grace in these (thankfully infrequent) moments, it's the timeliness of the story; that feeling of importance and weight it holds, as if it's surface is concealing much grander themes and moral questions. Because that's exactly what Carmen is doing. On one level it's unmistakably a strong genre romantic drama. On another, it's a relevant topical film that longs to have opponents consider the human beings on the other side of the aisle, or rather the other side of the border.

If you walk away from Carmen without having any of it puncture the lining of your heart, you may want to consider how hardened its become. It's possible politics and the party talking points of the day have come to rule your thinking. Perhaps a reconsideration of long held positions -- with the faces and stories of immigrants on your heart and mind -- could lead to the realization that we, as a society, are horrifyingly close to dehumanizing an entire group of our fellow human beings, and that our inability or refusal to empathize, to listen to stories and see those aforementioned faces, is preventing us from advancing as a species. Perhaps we would do well to think more, talk less and act in a manner more befitting our relative wealth and privilege as a nation.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put this soap box back in the garage.

Carmen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Simply stunning. Carmen comes to Blu-ray with a magnificent 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that's every bit as filmic and lovely as I hoped it would be. Sumptuous colors fill the screen, with even sun-seared desert hues and tanned skin tones looking lifelike and natural. Primaries are rich and striking too, as are black levels, which are quite deep, the product of excellent contrast leveling, and the source of numerous well-delineated shadows. Detail pops, not with razor sharp clarity, but with convincing realism. Edge definition is clean and precise, without anything in the way of halos, and fine textures are exacting and revealing. The encode fares beautifully as well, with virtually no blocking, banding, errant noise, compression issues or other such ugliness on hand to sully the presentation. This is a near-perfect, if not perfect transfer that is as effective as it is tasteful and sophisticated.

Carmen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony pairs Carmen's exquisite video transfer with a terrific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is clear, intelligible and directionally precise throughout, but it's the music in Millepied's strangely hypnotic musical, the crescendo of dancing and the surge of emotional songs that give the mix a workout. Prioritization never allows voices to be lost beneath the songs or score, and yet there's a confidence and assertiveness to the music that can't be understated. It fills the entire soundfield, taking remarkable advantage of the rear speakers and LFE channel and creating an immersive and absorbing soundscape that draws the listener into Masilda's nightclub. In short, it sounds so real, so engaging, that it only enhances the scenes that take place within. But even when the film moves outdoors, into the desert, at the border, wherever it may go, the same careful attention to detail, the same smooth channel pans, the same hearty low-end support follows. Carmen's AV presentation doesn't disappoint in any way.

Carmen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Lead Actor & Director Featurettes (HD, 11 minutes) - Cast and crew brag about director Ben Millepied and actors Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal, Rossy de Palma, their performances, and the "magic" each one brought to the project in four separate featurettes.

• The Modern Story (HD, 3 minutes) - Adapting the nature and legacy of opera for the screen.

• The Music (HD, 5 minutes) - The music and score of Carmen.

• The Dancing (HD, 5 minutes) - Self-explanatory but a featurette focused on the dancing in the film.

• Creating the World of Carmen in Australia (HD, 5 minutes) - Shooting in Australia.

• The Production Story (HD, 3 minutes) - Bringing Carmen to life as a film.

Carmen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've avoided Carmen for quite some time. I was busy reviewing bigger titles, right? So what's the big deal? At least that's what I thought to myself several times. But that was when I had no idea what Carmen really was. I braced for a sappy romance. Instead, I was treated to a compelling musical drama with timely, topical themes, moving song-and-dance numbers, and moral questions demanding my attention. And that, folks, is right up my alley. You'll probably be surprised by it too. Just don't come to it wearing a MAGA hat. Chances are, you won't make it far before realizing Carmen isn't exactly made for you. Or keep watching. Perhaps it'll soften your they'll-take-our-jobs heart and help you consider the faces of the very real people who are being hurt and neglected every day that we continue fighting about what to do with the frightened, desperate human beings at our border. Ooph, there's that soap box again. Shake it off, Brown. Okay. Sony's Blu-ray release is an excellent one, with a stunning video presentation, a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and even a small collection of special features (which isn't often the case with these sorts of new genre releases). Recommended.