karmen in this film exudes so much charisma, it cannot be contained,
a lot of elements are pared down from the original opera, and a romantic relationship between karmen and her prison warden angélique is added
i would have preferred if this story was in the mouth of a xhosa director, rather than john trengove, it feels like the sort of narrative one needs to deconstruct from the inside rather than the out
that said there's a lot to commend this film
unfortunately, the film though it starts off paced well, becomes quite rushed in the second half, could really have benefited from having more time to tell its narrative,
PRIDjunE 2026
film #20 karmen geï, dir. joseph gaï ramaka [sénégal]
let's fucking gooo, let's fucking goooo, the first 10/10 watch of PRIDjunE, and its an incredibly bisexual adaptation of the opera carmen by bizet!!
unfortunately for her, some men don't know how to deal with that level of charisma,
they consume themselves in jealousy and obsession, rather than just appreciating her company while they have it
this borrows from the traditions of slow cinema, we are talking shots that hang on after the action, minimal dialogue, and a generally slow and pensive atmosphere, now, i love these things
the financial times just should not be allowed to have an opinion section, their opinion writers can't be trusted with it
stick to financial journalism
our lead (played by the non-binary actor nakhane) delivers a wonderful performance, their character always seems right on the cusp of tears, and, given their frustrations that we see throughout the film, one can easily understand why
PRIDjunE 2026
film #19 inxeba, dir. john trengove [south africa]
two films about the closet in a row, though this one is a significantly harder watch
the film's focus is the ritual of xhosa manhood, circumcision, isolation from women, 'masculinising treatment'
PRIDjunE 2026
film #21 armée du salut, dir. abdellah taïa [morocco]
there are parts of this film (see the content warnings up top) that i would not really be happy with it this were a fiction film, fortunately its autobiographical from the director
a beautiful minimalism pervades the film
