funoon25

This film, a remake of the opera Carmen set in a South African township and sung in Xhosa, is fantastic. Pauline Malefane was amazing in the role of Carmen. Director Dornford-May played on his experience as a theater director for some real strengths in this movie -- I liked the way he stuck to the Greek theatrical convention of bloodshed happening offstage throughout the film without shirking from the sense of violence underpinning both the original opera and this new setting. The ways in which he wove in quirkier elements from the opera Carmen were delightful (I thought: How on earth is he going to get a bullfighter in here?), and the interplay between the Carmen score and South African music was superb. I loved it.

Other comments have detailed some of the plot elements of this beautiful film, but haven't really mentioned the perfect visual balances throughout this film that also help keep it from sliding into depression or wallowing or sentimentality. For example, as the main character hauls his possessions to sell at the market one by one, the visual incongruity of the huge items he's hauling on his own down a stretch of endless highway is so quirky and absurd that the subtle smart humor offsets any chance we'd let pity sully the scene.

There are scenes in this film so gorgeous that I think of them with crystal clarity, even months later.

Don't miss this film if you have the chance to see it.