Carmen & Bolude

This film captures a search for identity under the guise of getting married. The lead characters find themselves, and acceptance, while following a trail of love and hope and new beginnings.

Insights are provided by random people from different cultural backgrounds who find themselves and provide guidance for knowing yourself.

Love, friendship, and family are woven together and provide a rich backdrop for acceptance. Knowing who you are and who you want to be are so wrapped up in cultural differences which end up demonstrating the similarities.

Such a beautiful and heartfelt movie, with laughs, tears, and everything in between.

This film was Co Written by the two main female Actors playing the roles of Carmen & Bolude respectively. Anyone will understand that when you have two writers that are also the Leads, they will often want to have an equal amount of screen time and a comparable arc that each one goes through. In my opinion this is where films like this can fall down. To the audience it can feel like there's two different films playing. However, there are some funny moments throughout.

Given the material to work with, I think Director Maria Isabel Delaossa did an amazing job and has proven herself to be fine Director of Drama and Comedy.

Can't wait to see what she does next!

Carmen & Bolude is genuinely funny, with laugh-out-loud moments throughout the whole film. Even the emotional scenes were supported and relieved by touches of humour, ensuring that the film didn't drag like a straight emotional drama.

The characters are chaotic and flawed yet so loveable, and you can't help rooting for them. The two female leads are exceptional and it was refreshing to see a womance (rather than another bromance).

It was also great to see male characters who were there, not to outshine the women, but to support and bolster them.

Overall, it's just great to see an Australian comedy that's actually funny!

Carmen & Bolude is definitely something worth watching.

The background stories are warm and heartfelt but so naturally funny that you can't help laughing out loud.

The main story line touches on so many different but fundamental emotions and gently nudges you to look at the way we all interact and how much our lives revolve around who we think we are and what we think we are.

The humor is a mix of subtlety and bluntness but is never just for the sake of a laugh, it always reminds you that these are real people not plastic characters.

Carmen & Bolude is so very different to the repetitive, cookie cutter, mainstream movies because it is a real story, all of the characters are slightly damaged and slightly off kilter but so very human.

Carmen and Bolude is a fun movie but carries a strong message. There are engaging characters and especially strong female leads. There are lots of laugh out loud moments and some tears. All the feels in one digestible package with some lingering messages to think about.

Those lingering messages are explored around cross cultural relationships and identity in an adventure that includes New York, Sydney and some spectacular NSW sites. The "family dinner" scene is one many will relate too with a level of discomfort that is tangible, squirmy but cleverly, funny. Everyone who has ever felt unseen or not quite sure of who they were will identify.