A young and fiercely independent woman, Carmen, is forced to flee her home in the Mexican desert following the brutal murder of her mother. She survives an illegal border crossing into the US, only to be confronted by a lawless volunteer border guard. When the border guard and his patrol partner Aidan become embroiled in a deadly standoff, the pair is forced to escape together.
Direction
Millepied's choreography bleeds into every frame—bodies tell the story.
Score
Nicholas Britell reimagines Bizet into something hypnotic and desperate.
Cinematography
Desert landscapes that look like they're judging you.
Director
Benjamin Millepied
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Benjamin Millepied's directorial debut after stepping down from Paris Opera Ballet; he shot the border crossing scenes with actual undocumented immigrants as extras.
The film reimagines Bizet's 1875 opera—where Carmen dies by a man's hand—into a story where she lives, but at what cost? Some critics called it feminist revisionism; others found it hollow.
FR
