[Director] Dornford-May deftly balances the details of his setting with the universality of his themes, exploring every dusty corner of a village thrumming with tension between patriarchal leaders and strong-willed women.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 30, 2007

No one can know whether Bizet would have approved of the movie musical U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha. But you suspect that he would have admired the filmmakers' gall.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 28, 2007

A vivacious film that is a treat for eyes and ears.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 28, 2007

This was basically the best idea ever.

| Mar 28, 2007

Though not the best film version of Bizet's famous opera Carmen, Mark Dornford-May's Berlin Bear-winner from 2005 may be among the most loyal.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 17, 2007

Performances and singing are both on the money, and the film's organic, realistic feel seems to have been bolstered by the translation contribution that thesps Malefane and Andiswa Kedama made to the screenplay.

| Jul 28, 2006

The main attraction is the performance of Carmen by the magnificent Pauline Malefane, who also translated the libretto into Xhosa.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 28, 2006

U-Carmen hits the bull's eye, 'Toreador's or not.

| May 20, 2006

No prior knowledge of the original opera is required to enjoy U-Carmen, with the filmmakers successfully breaking free of the story's stage origins to create a dynamically cinematic work.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 16, 2006

Bizet's music is superb, the township setting ambitious and the performances boldly vibrant. But the action doesn't always escape its stage origins and occasionally feels static and self-conscious.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 6, 2006

Tells a complicated story, gives unique voice to a classic piece of music, and opens a window on contemporary South Africa in a pleasing, symmetrical fashion.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 24, 2005