Carmen
Theatrical release poster
Directed byValerie Buhagiar
Written byValerie Buhagiar
Produced by
  • Pierre Ellul
  • Coral Aiken
  • Anika Psaila Savona
Starring
  • Natascha McElhone
  • Steven Love
  • Michela Farrugia
  • Peter Galea
  • Pauline Fenech
  • André Agius
  • Rachel Fabri
  • Mikhail Basmadjian
  • Paul Cilia
  • Henry Zammit Cordina
  • Paul Portelli
  • Richard Clarkin
CinematographyDiego Guijarro
Edited by
  • Matt Lyon
  • Peter Strauss
Production
companies
  • Falkun Films
  • Aiken Heart Films
Distributed byVortex Media
Release dates
  • December 4, 2021 (2021-12-04) (Whistler)
  • August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19) (Canada)
  • September 21, 2022 (2022-09-21) (Malta)
Running time
  • 87 minutes (North American version)
  • 90 minutes (European version)
Countries
  • Canada
  • Malta
Languages
  • English
  • Maltese

Carmen is a 2021 drama film written and directed by Valerie Buhagiar.[1] Inspired in part by the real experiences of Buhagiar's own aunt Rita, the film stars Natascha McElhone as Carmen, a Maltese spinster who has spent her adult life serving as a caretaker for her brother, who is a Roman Catholic priest, but who finds herself feeling free to explore her own desires and goals in life as she nears age 50.[1] The cast also includes Steven Love, Michaela Farrugia, Peter Galea, Mikhail Basmadjian, Henry Zammit Cordina, and Richard Clarkin.

Shot in Malta in 2019,[2] the film was screened for distributors in the Industry Selects program at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, but was not made available to the general public.[3] It had its public premiere at the 2021 Whistler Film Festival,[4] where Diego Guijarro won the award for Best Cinematography in a Borsos Competition film.[5] In 2022, it was screened at the Canadian Film Festival in Toronto, where it won the award for Best Film.[6] The film was released by Vortex Media in Canada in select theatres on August 19, 2022, and on video on demand on September 23, 2022.[7][8][9] In Malta, it was released theatrically on September 21, 2022.[10] In the United States, it was released theatrically in major cities and on video on demand on September 23, 2022, by Good Deed Entertainment.[9][11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 20 critics, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]

References

  1. 1 2 Gee, Dana (December 14, 2021). "Family member's sheltered life of servitude inspires filmmaker to shade the patriarchy". Vancouver Sun.
  2. ↑ Dalton, Ben (July 19, 2019). "Natascha McElhone signs to star in Valerie Buhagiar's 'Carmen', now shooting in Malta". Screen Daily.
  3. ↑ "Toronto Film Festival Unveils Conversations, Industry Selects, Special Event Lineups". Shoot. August 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ Smith, Charlie (December 13, 2021). "Whistler Film Festival movies, including The Pink Cloud and Drinkwater, are available online across Canada". The Georgia Straight.
  5. ↑ Smith, Charlie (December 20, 2021). "Cinema of Sleep wins Borsos award for best Canadian feature at Whistler Film Festival". The Georgia Straight.
  6. ↑ "Maltese film Carmen gets best feature award in Canadian Film Fest". Times of Malta. April 5, 2022.
  7. ↑ "TFCA Friday: Week of August 19". Toronto Film Critics Association. August 19, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Carmen". Edmonton Movie Guide. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  9. 1 2 "CARMEN Trailer. Natascha McElhone Stars as a 50-year-old Woman Finding a New Start in Life". VIMooZ. August 17, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  10. ↑ Magri, Giulia (September 21, 2022). "Award-winning Maltese-Canadian film Carmen released locally". Times of Malta. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ Kraft, Tim (September 20, 2022). "Exclusive: Valerie Buhagiar and Natascha McElhone Discuss Carmen". MovieWeb. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Carmen". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Carmen Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 26, 2022.


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