Carmen: Where did you see the two heroes of this musical and hypnotic road movie?

What is it about? Carmen, a young Mexican trying to cross the border, encounters an American patrol. Aidan, a young ex-Marine, saves a life by killing himself. Forever linked by that tragic night and now pursued by the police, they travel together to the City of Angels. They find refuge in the heart of Sombra Poderosa, a club run by Carmen’s aunt, who offers them a suspended moment thanks to music and dance.

2 young talents

To play Carmen, Benjamin Millepied was looking for a Mexican actress who could sing and dance, but also someone with “strength, courage, mystery and fearlessness without falling into cliché.” Melissa Barrera has never taken dance lessons, but she has appeared on a reality show You think you know how to dance In Mexico:

“She’s a really great dancer and she sings really, really well. And she has a crazy presence. But she’s also able to bring deep emotion to the film at important moments. Melissa is the perfect Carmen.”Benjamin Millepied explains.

Melissa Barrera has previously starred in Scream 5 and 6, as well as the musical From Where We Come From alongside hottie Anthony Ramos.

In the shoes of Aidan, a young ex-marine, we find Paul Mescal, who will succeed Russell Crowe in Gladiator 2 played by Ridley Scott. The protagonist of this sequel is Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen in Gladiator) and nephew of Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The young actor recently made a name for himself in the moving drama Aftersun, which received rave reviews at festivals.

The birth of the project

In Paris, producer Dimitri Rassam had known for a long time that Benjamin Millepied wanted to make his first feature film. The two men then discussed at length the kidnapping of the famous French choreographer and dancer. Carmen. Dimitri Rasami recalls:

“One of the aspects that makes Carmen a timeless story is its central character, this extraordinary freedom-loving woman. Benjamin’s vision was to place the story in the present day, without remaining true to the spirit of the opera, without any set pieces. His product.”

“My role was to accompany Benjamin and Nicolas on this adventure. By marrying Carmen’s origins, roots, but also Benjamin and Nicolas’ vision, we created something truly unique. A film that has its own. Grammar.

Why the United States?

Originally an opera Carmen The action takes place in Spain, but Benjamin Millepied wanted to make it an American story. The director explains: “I’ve lived in the United States almost my entire life, since I was 16. For me, the story had to take place in an environment that was close to me, and that I had an almost visceral relationship with.”

“I am French, but I am also an immigrant with an American passport, and this country has offered me extraordinary opportunities. I am very concerned about many of the current problems in America. The story in the United States reflects my love for this landscape. The country, but also its atmosphere and its cinematic past.”

Old project

All of Carmen’s songs and dances were written before filming, but had not yet been created when the soundtrack was edited. Nicholas Brittell had already spent years exchanging musical ideas with director Benjamin Millepied (and composed several scores for him), but after seeing early versions of the film, the composer could begin to get an idea of ​​how the music would fit into the overall structure. He recalls:

“The end result includes an orchestra, lots of sound experiments and synthesizers, and a male and female chorus. The chorus is the last idea that Benjamin and I had. Throughout the film, these sounds are integrated into the instrumental soundtrack. Lyrics. Performed in French, taken in 1875 by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy from the original opera created by This creates an almost mystical musical counterpoint between the opera and Benjamin’s Carmen.

The process took six years.

Shooting in Australia

Dimitri Rassam offered Goalpost Pictures producer Rosemary Blythe to join the project so he could shoot the film in Australia. The Australian outback is indeed remarkably similar to the Mexican desert and the area around the Mexico-US border. Much of Carmen was shot near Broken Hill and the Los Angeles set, including Masilda’s La Sombra nightclub, was recreated in suburban Sydney.

In 2021, Melissa Barrera and Paul Mescal arrived in Australia for several weeks of intensive rehearsals. Both actors are experienced singers but have never danced professionally. Benjamin Millepied chose the Sydney Dance Company, an Australian contemporary dance company with an international reputation, to train his cast:

“It was very difficult to prepare and shoot. Paul and Melissa had to dance, sing, play an instrument and interpret their role at the same time. The director, being a great choreographer, it’s not like they don’t have just a few. Dance steps to master. They had to catch up with Sydney’s dance To the dancers of the company, who are recognized all over the world.”

“They rehearsed three to four hours a day, for weeks! It was high-level athleticism. And they nailed it!”

Note that Paul Mescal had to learn boxing for a key scene in the film. He trained every day with a professional. The boxing scenes were filmed over two nights. Mescal’s sparring partner and on-screen opponent was the Australian champion. They were surrounded by ‘krumpers’, dancers drawn from the streets of Sydney and specially trained for the film by choreographer Holly Doyle.