Rated R. In English and Spanish with subtitles. At the Kendall Square Cinema.

This new “Carmen” from choreographer-turned-director Benjamin Millepied is not based on the famous opera by Georges Bizet. The film is based on the source material for the opera, the 1824 poem “The Gypsies” by Alexander Pushkin and “Carmen,” the 1845 novella by Prosper Merimee. The story has been updated by several writers, including Alexander Dinelaris (“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”). The new setting is the Mexican-U.S. border and Los Angeles (the film was shot in Australia). It tells the tale of the doomed love affair of Aidan (Paul Mescal), a troubled young man and ex-Marine with PTSD who must flee the scene of a crime involving immigrants, and Carmen (Melissa Barrera, “In the Heights”), a beautiful young immigrant woman, whose mother has died and who seeks her future in the United States. The two meet under violent circumstances, reflected in the stormy choral music of composer Nicholas Britell (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) and fall in love.

Opening scenes feature an old woman dancing a flamenco on a wooden pallet in the desert. She might be Fate or Destiny tapping out the lives we see on the screen. Although the film is in present time, all the vehicles in the film are vintage, giving “Carmen” a decidedly retro look. But why the 1980s? There is even a scene in which Aidan asks a woman in L.A. where he can find a pay phone because he needs to make a private call to his worried sister (Nicole da Silva) back on the border.

The music is impressionistic, reflecting the psychological state of the characters and the danger and dilemmas they face. Millepied and the writers suggest that the story of “Carmen,” two doomed lovers from different backgrounds, is archetypal. They are right about that, and a burning statue and a figure clad in mirrors lend a touch of magical realism to the action. But the vague, if not opaque dialogue becomes exhausting for those seeking some kind of realistic footing. At an L.A. nightclu, Carmen is reunited with her mother’s best friend and her surrogate auntie Masilda (Rossy de Palma, the muse of Pedro Almodovar). She is both a character in the film and another manifestation of the goddess represented by all the women in the film, especially Carmen herself.

Aidan plays guitar and sings in early scenes. Carmen dances with other dancers, by herself and near the end with Aiden in a pas de deux under a full moon. This may not be an opera. But it is certainly a film defined in large part by dance. Millepied, who is married to Natalie Portman, is making his feature film debut. Masilda tells Carmen that her feet are butterflies. Aidan, who served two tours in Afghanistan, has visions of sand. A poster of the Blessed Virgin Mary hangs on the wall in the room Masilda gives to the two lovers. Barrera and Mescal do not have much chemistry, which is a shame because they have a great deal of youth, beauty, charisma and presence.. The “Fight Club”-turned-dance number near the end may be the best scene in the film. This kooky “Carmen” has enough beauty, mystery and young talent to keep you watching, even if you don’t know the steps.

(“Carmen” contains profanity, sexually suggestive scenes and nudity)