Carmen & Bolude

It is an amazing movie, addressing the societal issues we face but delivering it in an easy to digest manner.

While dealing with important issues, the use of comic relief to lighten the mood is a welcome development.

The movie also made me be in all my feels as the actors made me feel what they felt. Laughing at the funny moments and crying too when the actors had to deal deep and personal issues.

I love how inclusive and intentional they were to ensure the authenticity of the characters and portrayal of the cultures represented in the movie.

It is such an entertaining and informative movie.

I'm not normally a movie goer but I was invited to the Australian premier of Carmen and Bolude and thought "sure, could be fun". It was more than that. This movie explored themes of friendship, home, love (romantic and familial) and culture. More importantly it explored how they intersect. If it had been delivered as a drama it probably would have bored me to tears. Instead, the comedic approach lightened what could have been dark moments and had me laughing. There were also moments where my tears flowed freely. I can't remember the last time a film moved me as much as this one did. Watch this movie. You won't regret it!

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 & Bolude was inventive, cheeky, and full of heart. I laughed, and teared up and had the theme song stuck in my head for the next week. It's packed with discourse about race, whiteness, community and belonging that have kept me thinking and reflecting.

The humour was fresh and the two lead performances were great with real chemistry and depth. I want to watch more from both of their discographies, and will be looking out for them in other Australian films/series. The supporting cast was strong too - and huge!! Lots of people did great things with a few minutes on screen.

Also, I love to see a review from angry "movie guy" who can't stand not being a target audience for a film! That's how you know you've done a great job. When you piss a man off so much they go on a very-telling rant. "It's not the feminism... I hate it because of the colour grading!" Delicious 😋

I saw the movie at a public cinema (it was the only movie with at least one woman on the poster), and have been telling my friends to go see it. The cinema experience was full of love, joy, community and discussion.

I believe any creative project is its process first, the product of that process second - and what matters most is its impact. It feels like this film has made wonderful impact already, and I hope it keeps getting the platforms to keep doing so!

Still thinking about this movie now, weeks after I watched it.

Did I love it because I have always struggled with my identity a bit? Did I love it because my friend co-created it?

I loved it because it's just a really great, complex movie that gets into hard topics with a tonne of humour, lovable characters, great locations and a sense of warmth that wraps around you like your favourite old jumper - full of memories and impossible to live without.

What really stayed with me was how effortlessly the film moved between laugh-out-loud absurdity and these beautifully vulnerable moments. It never felt preachy, never tried to teach you anything outright - but somehow you left feeling a little more open, a little more seen.

Carmen and Bolude's friendship is the kind of movie relationship I love: messy, hilarious and real. There's something so powerful about seeing two women - each from wildly different cultural backgrounds - lean into each other's chaos.

And let's talk about the '100 Welcomes' moment. What could have easily become a gimmick turns out to be one of the most joyful sequences I've seen on screen. Not just because it's heartwarming, but because it shows what belonging can look like - strange, stitched-together, sometimes awkward but fully human.

I also think this is the kind of story that will land somewhere inside anyone who's ever felt between places, between expectations or between versions of themselves.

More like this, please. Xx.