Carmen & Lola

By: Sam Frost

The inexplicable chemistry between Carmen (Rosy Rodríguez) and Lola (Zaria Romero) makes it impossible for this film to not shine. From the moment they meet at the local market Carmen locks eyes with Lola and everything begins to fall into place. How could it not? Their relationship is the center of an intense situation in Carmen & Lola and it shows that love can conquer anything.

The girls are part of a Romani community on the outskirts of Madrid and Carmen is about to become engaged. The girls form an immediate friendship as Carmen borrows Lola’s family’s tarp during a rain storm. Carmen later brings the tarp back and the girls go for a walk and smoke cigarettes. Carmen takes Lola’s pack and claims she’s going to keep it now because the cigarettes are “theirs.” Carmen seems to be the leader in most aspects, but Lola is the one that starts to make moves to create something more than friendship.

Carmen is thrilled when she finds out that Lola is the cousin of her soon-to-be husband, however, Lola (who has already begun to embrace and understand her sexuality) isn’t as happy. The girls continue to spend time together and test boundaries, which eventually leads to complications.

The film takes an intimate look at the cultural and religious intensities that push people of all ages to hide who they are. Carmen and Lola are faced with the difficulty of dealing with high and specific expectations from their families for them to marry men and become housewives and each girl faces these struggles in her own way. Carmen is originally more reluctant than Lola, but soon the girls find quiet places for intimate moments and Carmen begins to let herself feel what she’s been feeling for a long time.

Rafaela León as Lola’s mother Flor gives a truly remarkable performance throughout the entire film, but specifically in the scene showing what happens after a neighbor catches a glimpse of Carmen and Lola’s hidden intimacies. León’s performance exudes passion and gives a heart-wrenching look into the struggles queer people face when coming out or being outed to their family members.

Writer and director Arantxa Echevarría did an amazing job of singling out the important moments. There wasn’t any unnecessary filler or fluff and every moment felt necessary. Whether it was watching Lola walking around spray painting birds in flight or an intense religious scene, every moment felt truly important and moving. Each scene pushed the Carmen and Lola’s story further along and gave the audience more and more of a reason to root for them.

In Carmen & Lola the girls have to overcome obstacle after obstacle to be together, but they don’t give up. This film is about love and how far it can carry us. It’s about family, loss and confusion. It shows that with the help of someone who truly cares about you, you can conquer anything. If you’re looking for something raw and intense, this movie is definitely for you!