This film contains a scene with maximum meme potential: Normal People’s Paul Mescal breaks into expressionist dance, leaping through the air, soulfully twisting his body with the agony of a broken heart. It will have the Mescalmania fanbase melting into puddles. But really it’s his acting not his ballet that carries off this reimagining of Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera. Updated to modern day Mexico and the US, it’s a heartfelt, extravagant film, swirling with melodrama and music.
The story opens in Mexico, where Carmen (Melissa Barrera) flees north to the US after her flamenco dancer mother is killed by drug cartel thugs. Meanwhile, across the border in Texas, Mescal plays Aidan, an ex-marine who reluctantly takes a job with a patrol that cruises the border picking up illegals. On his first night there is a terrible incident: his colleague opens fire on a truck in which Carmen is a passenger. Aidan and Carmen go on the run.
