Written by Maria Acosta
A regretful narco story that had the potential for more.
Emilia Pérez (2024), directed by Jacques Audiard, is a musical thriller that blends elements of opera, comedy and crime. The film centers on Rita Mora (Zoe Saldaña), a successful lawyer in Mexico City who defends criminals. Rita is recruited by the powerful drug dealer Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) and, in exchange for a fortune, is required to help Manitas find a plastic surgeon who will help him in his gender conversion. Additionally, Rita must also take care of Manitas' wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez), and their two sons. Four years later, Rita is taken aback when “Manitas” re-enters her life now as Emilia Pérez . Emilia moves back to Mexico with her family, hoping to reconnect with Jessi and their children, while also seeking redemption by founding an organization dedicated to locating those who have disappeared due to crime.
I had the opportunity to attend the second screening and Q&A of Emilia Pérez at the Toronto International Film Festival this year and at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal. To my surprise, the film received an exceptionally positive response from the audience following a standing ovation - quite uncommon at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Zoe Saldaña shines through the screen, going back to her roots giving different dancing sequences and one of her best performances to this day, a strong contender for the Oscars next year. Selena Gomez surprises audiences and proves herself to be an actress outside her usual roles. Even though her Spanish is not the strongest, she does an incredible job with her dialogue and musical numbers. However, the highlight of the film is Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón. Gascón performance is outstanding, portraying both the roles of Manitas and Pérez. Gascón was known for her roles in Mexican telenovelas before her transition and struggled with her career afterward. Emilia Pérez has allowed her to shine and she does not disappoint. The three main actresses gave fantastic performances and, along with Adrianna Paz (Epifania), won the Best Actress Award for female ensemble at Cannes.
Audiard had high ambitions and presented some thought-provoking points, including political themes, touching on some serious topics. However, I feel he tried to cover too much, resulting in unresolved plot holes with a weak script, primarily because it wasn’t originally written in Spanish. The film is engaging and maintains your interest with entertaining musicals. Although it wasted several opportunities and could have offered more, it still delivered outstanding performances.
Emilia Pérez releases in limited cinemas November 1st before arriving on Netflix November 13th.
Photo credits to Netflix, Variety, and WTYE.
Comments
Post a Comment