Carmen 2023

In mexico, a tense chase unfolds as a young man hunting for Carmen shoots and kills her mother, a flamenco dancer, when she refuses to surrender Carmen. The desperate choice Carmen makes is to flee across the border into the United States, hoping to escape the danger that surrounds her. In Texas, Aidan, an unemployed Marine veteran living with his sister, is drawn into a troubling world when he’s persuaded to join a militia border patrol. He is paired with his friend, Mike, and the two set out on a mission that will pull them deeper into moral peril than they expect.

The trail leads them to a truck where Carmen is hiding with another woman, several children, and two men. To Aidan’s horror, Mike shoots and kills the two men, and then chases after Carmen when she tries to run. In a moment of fierce protection, Aidan helps the woman and children escape and kills Mike to shield Carmen. The fugitives take off in Mike’s car, forced to confront the consequences of their violent escape.

Their flight continues as they overpower two police officers who have tracked them to a motel and then flag down a taxi driver, Angel, who agrees to take them toward Los Angeles. On the road, they pass through a surreal carnival, a dreamlike detour that tempts them to pause, but they part ways with Angel and link up with Pablo. Pablo propositions Carmen, yet she firmly rejects him, saying she prefers Aidan. Aidan, for his part, reveals that he can understand Spanish, a detail that deepens their bond and foreshadows the practical ways they will need to communicate moving forward.

Pablo guides them to a club in Los Angeles owned by a family friend named Masilda, who welcomes them in and offers a safer refuge. Aidan contemplates leaving Carmen at the club, but his resolve weakens after they are startled by police activity nearby, and he chooses to stay by her side. Inside Masilda’s space, Carmen is urged to dance, while Aidan struggles to map out their next steps under the constant weight of pursuit. The couple is haunted by unsettling visions—Carmen’s mother and a mysterious, sequined figure—that blur the line between memory, guilt, and the present danger.

With the authorities seemingly closing in on the club, Aidan grows anxious about staying too long, though money is scarce and options are limited. He pleads with Carmen to remain safe at the club, but she refuses to be left behind. While Carmen performs, Aidan enters an underground bare-knuckle boxing match, lured by a large prize pot and a recommendation from a former comrade. The fight becomes a pivotal moment, as Carmen finishes her dance and arrives just in time to witness Aidan’s victory, only to see the raid unfold moments later.

A surreal desert fantasy sequence follows their initial triumph, a dreamlike moment that crescendos with Aidan walking away as Carmen is left to face the harsh reality of their situation. The film closes on a quieter, somber beat: Carmen walking alone along a beach, carrying the weight of everything that has happened and the uncertain path that lies ahead. The story remains intimate in its focus on two hardened souls trying to survive and protect the fragile bond they’ve formed in a world that persistently pushes them apart.