The official synopsis for Millepied’s film reads, “Carmen (Barrera) survives a terrifying and dangerous illegal border crossing into the US, only to be confronted by a lawless volunteer border guard who cold-bloodedly murders two other immigrants in her group. When the border guard and his patrol partner, Aidan (Mescal)—a Marine with PTSD—become embroiled in a deadly standoff, Carmen and Aidan are forced to escape together. They make their way north toward Los Angeles in search of Carmen’s mother’s best friend, the mercurial Masilda (Rossy de Palma) and owner of La Sombra nightclub, a sanctuary of music and dance.”

Millepied, a choreographer and director known for his work on the ballet sequences in Black Swan, teamed up with prominent composer Nicholas Britell (Succession, Moonlight, Andor) for his take on the famed 1875 opera. In addition to composing the score, Britell penned new songs for Carmen alongside Julieta Venegas and Taura Stinson.

In an early review of the film following its premiere at TIFF, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich writes, “It’s undeniably exhilarating to watch one of the world’s most accomplished choreographers team up with one of its most virtuosic composers (Nicolas Britell) for the kind of aggressively unclassifiable movie that would never exist if not for these two artists reaching beyond their disciplines to create it themselves.”

Carmen will premiere in theaters on April 21.