Carmen (I) (2022) User Reviews

Charming!

[imseeg · 6/10 · 30 September 2022]

A little independent arthouse film, that is quite charming and enjoyable, if you are able to dispend some disbelief about the credibility of the story, which I didnt find hard to do, because this movie has got such an endearing story.

Not any bad? Well, this is probably best suited for a (patience) arthouse audience, who dont mind watching a story unravel slowly.

The good: beautifully photographed, well acted, with an uplifting, endearing story about a woman who accidentally gets mistaken for a priest and decides to seize this opportunity to do some good with her newfound status.

Left me with a smile on my face. Lovely!

Mildly implausible story of woman "freed" in middle age

[chong_an · 6/10 · 10 September 2022]

Since the late WWII period, when she was 16, Carmen has been the unpaid housekeeper for her brother, the local priest. When he dies suddenly in the 1980s, a local woman's brother is supposed to be the replacement priest, and that woman will act as his housekeeper, displacing Carmen. The Catholic Church hypocritically and heartlessly throws Carmen out on the street, where she has various adventures and misadventures, helped in part by her knowledge of church processes.

Her backstory is that her life was saved by a young Arab, with whom she fell in love, and with family opposition, her role as housekeeper was the equivalent of "get thee to a nunnery".

Carmen's transformation from dour housekeeper to glamorous woman was a delight, as was the scenery. While this was "based on a true story", I wonder how much is fiction. Carmen seems to be good at giving advice to others, while she seems so naive herself. Meanwhile, the ending is a tad too Shakespearean for me.

Too "Inside" To Be Appreciated

[brentsbulletinboard · 5/10 · 14 October 2022]

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.

As a character study, it is a fine whimsical tale.

[Steve9920 · 6/10 · 25 October 2023]

I think it maybe reached for higher ground but fell short. It introduced symbols that might have signalled deeper intentions? A guiding pigeon, a Christ figure, and a lovers ghost, non of which was developed in a satisfying way in driving the plot.

But, that aside, the plot stands on its own as a lightly humorous, charming, at times sad journey, of a dowdy middle aged, isolated spinster to...well, no spoilers. Lovely church scenes, and small Mediterranean town scenery supply lots of colour and visual interest. The soundtrack is perfectly suited to the moods, as required. Apart from Carmen herself, there are plenty of local characters used to good effect to flesh out the hour and a half running time. And what a pleasant 90 minutes it is.

What was that?

[ThomasDK · 3/10 · 23 September 2022]

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.

Blossoming in middle age after three decades of repressed living

[steiner-sam · 8/10 · 22 August 2022]

It's a comedy-drama set in the 1980s in the Republic of Malta. It follows the life of a late-40s woman after the sudden death of her older brother. She had served as a housekeeper for her Catholic priest brother for 30 years. It's loosely based on the life experience of the director's aunt.

Carmen (Natascha McElhone)'s family forced her to look after her brother, Father Francis (Henry Zammit Cordina), from age 16. He is austere and disliked by his small-town parish. After his death, another priest plans to come. The new priest's sister, Rita (Michaela Farrugia), will look after him.

Carmen has nowhere to go, but God keeps supplying signs to guide her. Some of the options she chooses are engaging and very funny. At one point, Carmen has a relationship with a young pawnbroker, Paulo (Steven Love), which includes more drama. Throughout, we have flashbacks to a relationship she had as a young girl with an Arab boy, Ahmad (Chakid Zidi).

There is a resolution of sorts by the end, though some story threads are incomplete.

This engaging movie is about blossoming in middle age after three decades of repressed living. Natascha McElhone is excellent, as is Steven Love as Paulo. Many of the fringe players are also very good. The cinematography makes full use of Malta's beauty. Highly recommended.

The director grew up in Toronto but had a Maltese heritage. The film is a joint Canadian-Malta project.

Wonderful little hidden gem

[patientjoel · 8/10 · 12 February 2023]

A feel-good little film detailing how little sprinklings of humaneness and liberalism can overcome systemic failures in society and the church.

The film is the journey of the titular character traversing from being stifled for many decades to discovering how to be happy once again.

The ending is seemingly deliberately unrealistically over-optimistic, and that's the point. It is a film designed to lift one's spirits and see the good in the world again.

While certainly not for everyone - for example, it won't be for those who like only realistic dramas and those who strongly adhere to the stringent side of Catholicism - personally, I feel in love with it.

It doesn't overstay its welcome and has a few laugh-out-loud moments too, especially in the opening third. Recommended.

maltese filmmakers and films...

[ops-52535 · 5/10 · 26 September 2022]

Are not as commo0n as films filmed and produced with malta playing the location settings for the common middle eastern city/country where shooting films aint possible or is far too expensive. So where shall i set my expectations to this merely native one...?

Its a small story that wouldve worked perfect if they had used silenced acting or pantomiming( like sweedish''pablo picassoes eventyr'', or armenian ''the bra''). Because the script cannot be more than 2 a-4 papers, and the beauty of the maltese natural and human qualities tells more than the vocals do. Its a film about love and lust, and the lack of it, loads of cultural rites and religion, faith and unfaithfullness. Its all made on a dime and they really suck it as a maltese candy, the acting is profound but hitherto quite amateuristic, but by all means its sweet.

I wanda if they got paid by the maltese government with a 27% bonus for mentioning ''malta'' in the script??? The grumpy old man recommends this to everybody loving the maltese nation and people, for the rest of the world its a curiosa.

perplexing bittersweet drama

[mravawishes · 5/10 · 31 July 2023]

This is a perplexing one: it requires so much suspension on disbelief, it rests on so many coincidences and improbabilities, and it is filled with a surprising number of good old plot holes for a 90 minute movie - and yet, thanks to the spirited main performance, the nice scenery, and the light-on-its-feet touch of the director, it manages to exert a special charm of its own.

It is a movie about late blooming, missed opportunities, regrets, inner strength, and new beginnings - somewhat standard for this type of movie, and acted competently and compellingly (if with too sudden a transition) by McElhone, although not as memorably as it perhaps could have been.

The ending - culturally, historically, etc. - makes no sense. It is implausible and improbable (as are indeed most of the happenings in this movie!), yet if you manage to disregard all of that, you might find yourself carried along by the breezy optimism of the story.

Carmen Is As Good As It Gets

[llesychyn · 10/10 · 19 June 2023]

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.

sin

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 14 May 2023]

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.

Lovely, Sweet, Charming film.

[interastral · 8/10 · 26 September 2022]

Carmen is a film about faith and kindness, lonliness and love.

It's a quirky and charming comedy drama about a lady named Carmen who hasn't been dealt the best cards in life. But with the passing of her brother , the priest, she finds new possibility in her lonely adventure.

Certainly this film makes some light hearted pokes at Catholicism, but it's all very much in good spirit. Essentially suggesting that religion is also about fun and that surely, the Lord wants us to happy, even if he has mysterious ways of showing it.

The music is lovely, the scenery is pleasantly mediteranean, and the soul is very much that of a 1960's quaint romance, with a touch of tradgedy.

Carmen is a warm and endearing film that will leave you with a smile on your face and a chuckle in your tummy.

Check it out, it's nice. :-)

"Carmen": A Breath of Fresh Air and A Must-See!

[Brendas-Picks · 10/10 · 26 July 2023]

Hey there! If you're hunting for a movie that breaks the mold, look no further than "Carmen". Set in stunning Malta, this movie is a delightful curveball in the best possible way.

You know how some plots can feel like you've seen them a thousand times? Not this one. "Carmen" is packed with unexpected twists, making it a refreshing change from the usual. I mean, it's not every day you find a movie that feels so innovative!

The visuals? Just wow! It's like Malta jumps out of the screen, pulling you into its beauty. And the acting, it's just top-notch. Especially Natascha McElhone. Remember her from "Californication"? She's absolutely fantastic here, giving a performance that's memorable and powerful.

But what I think makes "Carmen" really stand out is how it speaks to women. It's a story of strength, resilience, and identity that hits home. The struggles feel real, and the message? Empowering.

So, if you're up for a movie experience that's both different and deeply moving, do yourself a favor and watch "Carmen". Trust me, it's worth it!

Whimsical Fantasy about A Woman in her 50s

[kjeanfish · 8/10 · 22 August 2023]

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.

Very interesting story.

[qormi · 10/10 · 3 September 2023]

Great acting throughout. The story unfolds in the 1980s as we learn of Carmen's situation.. deprived of a normal life since her youth, and then finds herself at middle age with no family and no place to go. We see a spiritual guidance in the form of a pigeon, in a few fleeting appearances of Christ himself, and of a long gone lover from her youth. When she impersonates a priest in a confessional, she gives sage advice to the unsuspecting confessors, which is very funny. On her way to establishing a new life, she has a romance with a young guy half her age, has a very dangerous encounter with a sexual predator, and becomes close friends with a most unlikely person. The people in the Catholic country of Malta are very religious, and we see processions in the streets which are common there, along with parades on religious observances of saints' birthdays, etc.