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A definitive 6.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Carmen remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have ten minutes and a strange curiosity about 1930s silhouette animation, sure. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s definitely distinct. People who like traditional narrative structures might find the whole bull-riding ending a bit too bizarre to handle. If you prefer your cinema grounded in reality, stay away.
Lotte Reiniger’s work always feels like looking through a telescope at a shadow puppet theater that somehow came to life. There is this mechanical grace to how the characters move. It’s not smooth, but it’s intentional. It’s like watching a clockwork toy stumble its way through a tragedy.
The plot moves fast. Like, really fast. Carmen steals a soldier's clothes while he’s snoozing, which is honestly a top-tier move for a movie protagonist. She wants a dress, she gets the dress, and then she realizes the toreador isn't even looking her way. Classic, right?
The pacing reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Run 'Em Ragged. Things just happen because they have to, not because they build up to anything meaningful. You don't get 'character development' in a ten-minute shadow play, and frankly, I didn't miss it.
The ending is where things go completely off the rails. Carmen walks into the bullring, sticks a rose in her teeth, and manages to seduce the bull. Yes, the bull. It’s one of those moments where you have to pause and ask, did I really just see that?
The whole thing feels like a fever dream you might have had after watching too many old shorts like Buster's Narrow Escape on a loop. It’s playful, dark, and mostly just weirdly charming. She rides off on the bull at the end with her guy, which is a hell of an exit strategy.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s a curio. If you’re looking for something that feels completely removed from the polished nonsense we see today, this fits the bill. Just don’t overthink the bull part. Seriously, don't.