Carmen

I'm a big fan of Natascha Mcelhone and I'm so glad I have seen her performances in other films, before watching this. I can't remember having dragged myself through a worse movie in many, many, many years. It's awful. The story is thin at best and the acting is amateurish beyond belief and the songs from this will keep me up at night for weeks to come. Scenery is nice though, that's it. I'm sorry, but there's absolutely nothing to like about this movie, except for how gorgeous Natasha McElhone looks, while she does her lines with a bad accent. I've seen school plays more convincing than this garbage. Please do not trust high star reviews of this, you will not be rewarded for your time, nor patience.

Thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a 50 year old Catholic woman relegated to serving her much older priest brother. When he dies and she is left alone with no money, she gets creative. Most of the film is about her innovative and sometimes surprising choices as she survives and transforms.

Set in Malta, the scenery and architecture are beautiful. Most of the plot is situational, so there is little character development, aside from Carmen herself.

If you are looking for realism, this not your movie. If you enjoy imagining alternate realities, ridiculous events, and happy, though implausible endings, this is it! You won't be sorry.

In a sleepy town on Malta, Carmen (Natascha McElhone) has been taking care of her brother, the local priest, since she was 16 years old. One day, he drops dead and she is left all alone in the world. A new priest is taking over with his own sister housekeeper. Carmen is expected to leave for her family even though she has none. She finds herself taking confessions from the town folks and searching for a life of her own.

Sin is the central theme of this movie. It's the heartbreaking reveal. Rita is obsessed with it. The women in town suffered under it. The movie should open with the priest berating the women and warning against the sin of disobeying their husbands. That would set up the rest of the movie much better. I really love the confessions. It is noticeable that McElhone is changing her hair color along the way. That may be too much. She should keep her greys. This is a wonderful little movie.

When the priest of a small Maltese parish dies, his longtime caretaker and housekeeper (his younger, now-spinsterly sister) finds herself without living or working arrangements. What is she to do to support herself? Such is the lot of Carmen, the title character of this slightly whimsical but vastly underdeveloped, allegedly fact-based tale of a woman seeking to discover and reinvent herself at middle age. Writer-director Valerie Buhagiar's latest tries to keep its story light and bouncy, but it often does so without much direction, purpose or follow-through with regard to the various disconnected incidents that arise. It's almost as if the picture is trying to get by on a bucket full of charm and the frequent employment of synchronicities, many of which are supposed to seem meaningful but often go without explanation. The result is a largely pointless exercise in trying to tell a tale that should be full of warmth, fun, lightheartedness and redemption. It's also a missed opportunity to showcase the talent of Natascha McElhone in what should have been one of her best performances in years. But, as it plays now, "Carmen" is, regrettably, more like an inside joke that most of us are being left out of.

In a year of really terrific films, Carmen stands out as one of the most endearing, fresh, and unique stories that has made its way to the screen in 2023.

Set in 1980s Malta, on the historically infused island of Gozo, this tale of a woman doomed for life by the tradition of having to serve to her brother's needs while in his position as a Roman Catholic priest may seem, at first, somber. But when she is released from her servitude by her brother's unexpected death, her life spirit is awakened while discovering the world to which she was denied access for her entire adult life.

The film is filled with whimsy, humor that made me laugh out loud repeatedly, and clever and inspired synchronistic plot elements. It's quirky, it's delightful, it's sweet, and it's a brilliant gem that deserves an audience.

Besides the refreshing story, star Natasha McElhone shines, as she always does, but the way in which she transforms in this film is extraordinary. She plays the lead character with such empathy and conveys a spirit of child-like discovery - as if she was entering the world for the first time. At the same time, she is so believable that when we see her character also being very resourceful and clever, it feels authentic. And besides McElhone, there isn't a flawed performance in the film.

To add to the outstanding performances, the setting of Gozo in the Maltese archipelago is breathtaking. As viewers, we not only discover the traditions of Malta, but also the magnificence of its sweeping and enigmatic landscapes and enchanting towns. Everything comes together giving the audience a magical and uplifting experience. Yet it also reveals archaic and dark practices of the Catholic church from an observational perspective rather than from a judgmental one.

This is a film that I haven't hesitated in the least recommending to everyone I know. It's rare to find such ebullience in such an intelligent script about a woman who finds her voice and place in a world still all too fraught with damaging patriarchal structures. Bravo to writer/director Valerie Buhagiar for sharing a story inspired by her own aunt's challenging circumstances in such a creative and heartfelt way.