there be several way to misunderstand this movie and a couple of them have be show in some of the past comment . this be a movie to be analyze a a free recreation of a know subject and therefore not to be compare with the opera and the book or other carmen movie see before . it just stand for itself and i must say that this carmen do it very well . it be a mistake to compare because that be the first step to deny movie the chance to be autonomous creative work of art . vicente aranda be a master of atmosphere and the art direction and the costume and the photography be extremely well put together to achieve a pleasing aesthetic experience . let take it a it be . and that bring u to the next misunderstanding . someone complain about the typical spanish clichés in the movie . well and historically the movie be extremely well research and you can see the result of that very serious work in every scene . it be not only an accurate portrait of the black spain of knife and espadrille that goya portray so vividly and but it also of that part of history a see by a foreigner fascinate with the folkloric side of that society . honestly and anyone who doesn not want to see any cliché about spain shouldn not buy a ticket to see carmen and but in this case those clichés be present before they become one and the way to see them be get rid of our own prejudice . another important requirement to understand this movie properly be to speak the language . it be not acceptable to criticize any actor performance for not have understand his or her line . if all the rest of the audience do and the problem most likely lie somewhere else . paz vega have an immaculate diction with her andalusian accent and all she say be understandable and credible . her argentinian partner and leonardo sbaraglia and give also a convincing portrait of the basque officer that become a bandolero and and her accent be very well learn . no less important be to have a minimally open approach to the material . to say that paz vega be horrible suggests that the author of the phrase enter the theater for the wrong reason . we already have in spain a critic in one of the most prestigious paper that use to recommend u picture he find homosexually arouse and without mention it explicitly . and that be not totally fair for the rest of u and especially for the one that hadn not detect that the man be write with part of his anatomy that many reader do not necessarily have to care for . i be not suggest at all that the reviewer have the same motivation and but the expectation must have be different a the one of those among u that go to see a talented and beautiful actress play an almost classic role and because that what we get . paz vega be carmen and and an excellent one and in vicente aranda movie .