Viva Carmen

In his follow-up to The Girl Without Hands and Chicken for Linda!, director Sébastien Laudenbach returns for his third animated feature with a reimagining of Bizet’s opera Carmen. Told through the eyes of Sevillian children, the tragic story — in which the free-spirited Carmen is killed by the soldier Don José in a jealous rage — has the opportunity to be rewritten when the youngsters try to stop her fatal conclusion. Despite the vibrance of this world rendered with expressive brushstrokes, the weight of the original material is still deeply felt, providing a striking contrast to the violence of the narrative.

In addition to the presence of the children, the film’s intervention also offers a feminist perspective, interrogating the logic of patriarchy and calling for solidarity among women. A vision of hope and persistence, childhood is represented as a period of great potential to demand societal change and alternative ways of living in the world.

With a notable absence of the opera’s full musical numbers, the score — composed by Amine Bouhafa and the director’s sister Isabelle Laudenbach — interpolates Bizet’s patterns to craft a minimalist composition. The result is a worthwhile entry in the sea of Carmen adaptations that appeal to adult and child viewers alike, introducing a new generation to one of the most performed, timeless operas in the world.

ROBYN CITIZEN