Carmen trailer
Paul Mescal as Aidan in Carmen courtesy of Sony Classics

If you want to see Paul Mescal dance his heart out, watch the new Carmen trailer from director Benjamin Millepied, the visionary choreographer behind Black Swan.

Mescal plays a devastatingly handsome former U.S. Marine who betrays the border patrol and goes on the run with Melissa Barrera as Carmen, a woman who attempts to cross the border illegally after losing her mother.

You can watch the Carmen trailer below.

Is this the same Carmen as the opera?

Millepied’s Carmen is a modern reimagining of the famous 1875 opera composed by Georges Bizet, which was based on the 1845 novella by Prosper Mérimée. Though it shares the same basic storyline, the new Carmen strays very far from the opera.

Succession composer Nicholas Britell composed an all-new score for Millepied’s Carmen, which also includes original songs by Julieta Venegas, Taura Stinson, Tracy ‘the D.O.C’ Curry. None of the songs from the original opera are in Millepied’s Carmen — but Mescal himself does sing a song, which is pretty cool. But you won’t see that in the Carmen trailer — you’ll have to wait to watch the movie.

Also Read: Lena Dunham, Molly Ringwald Praise Judy Blume in Trailer for Judy Blume Forever Doc (Video)

Here’s the full synopsis for Carmen

Carmen follows a young and fiercely independent woman who is forced to flee her home in the Mexican desert following the brutal murder of her mother. Carmen (Melissa Barrera) survives a terrifying and dangerous illegal border crossing into the US, only to be confronted by a lawless volunteer border guard, who cold-bloodedly murders two other immigrants in her group,” reads the official synopsis.

“When the border guard and his patrol partner, Aidan (Paul Mescal)—a Marine with PTSD—become embroiled in a deadly standoff, Carmen and Aidan are forced to escape together. They make their way north towards Los Angeles in search of Carmen’s mother’s best friend, the mercurial Masilda (Rossy de Palma) and owner of La Sombra nightclub – a sanctuary of music and dance. Carmen and Aidan find both solace and their unwavering love for one another in the safety of Masilda’s magical refuge, but time is running out as the police hunt closes in.”

Watch the Carmen trailer

Carmen arrives in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on April 21.

Main Image: Paul Mescal as Aidan in Carmen courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

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