Cast: Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Édgar Ramírez
Director: Jacques Audiard
Rating: 4 stars
Emilia Pérez review: Some critics (read cynics) often argue that in today’s fast-paced world—with an average moviegoer’s attention span the same as that of a 5 YO—musicals are a death wish to any director’s career. But Jacques Audiard sure loves him a good challenge. In this drug-cartel-meets-gender-identity drama, Audiard, a Frenchman, dives deep into the dark narco-infested alleys of the notorious Mexico City. His muse? A much-feared cartel leader, Manitas Del Manto (Karla Sofía Gascón, more about that later). The musical, at its core, is like any other film amalgamating love, loss, and subsequent redemption. Add batshit crazy to the mix, and the concoction you get is Emilia Pérez.
The opening sequence makes it clear that low-waged lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldaña) always had reservations about keeping shady goons and gangsters away from prisons. The songs, basic and forgettable—written by Camille, Ducol, and Audiard himself—reveal her aspirations for a better life, and a life-long longing for greener pastures (relatable, I think). So when cartel leader Del Manto wants to see Rita, it could be for a plethora of reasons. Much to everyone’s shock, Del Manto offers copious amounts of money for something no one was prepared to hear: get a surgeon who’s good at his job and make Del Manto a woman, while keeping his family in the dark, and safe in a different country at the same time. Once the deed’s done, the now fake-dead Del Manto’s wife Jesse (a marvellous Selena Gomez), along with their sons, are shipped away to Switzerland for their own ‘safety’. Rita, now swimming in millions, settles among the elite in London. In comes Emilia Pérez (aka Del Manto, get it?) and the madness that ensues could have ticked anyone off but, barring a few jerky plot points, this nutjob of a movie sticks for its sheer audacity and an out-of-the-box presentation of the adage – people change!
Now to call Emilia Pérez the next La La Land would be criminal. Not even close, if I am being honest. Not just the tepid numbers in the musical, even Damien Jalet’s choreography is average with no iconic poses or hook steps for a viewer to revisit once they leave the theatre—paramount for any musical to be labelled a classic. But the same cannot be said about the three actors who elevate the overall experience of watching this riot of a film. First, a completely engrossed Zoe Saldaña and her impeccable Spanish, lending her able support is the first trans actor to ever win the Best Actress award at Cannes, Karla Sofía Gascón. In Emilia Perez, Gascón transitions almost effortlessly from a hardened criminal to a do-gooder in heels with an underlying desire to absolve herself of her past sins but never truly acknowledging it to her viewers, or herself. Underneath the mayhem, it is this quality—of knowing you were wrong, never really admitting to it—that makes the film human, and its characters, humane. Gomez, too, exhibits shades of grey in her on-screen persona and Jacques Audiard, quite wittily, packages her flaws in a fashion that still makes the audience root for her. A likable bastard, if you will.
Yet another aspect of the musical that catches your fancy is its lack of dependency on gender identity to further the narrative. Out here, gender-affirmation surgery is more of a means to an end and not an end in itself: an otherwise easy subplot most films, and uninspired writers and lazy directors, fall back on to heap praises at the global film festival circuit. Touché!
In essence, Emilia Pérez, is an earnest effort—a plea of some sort—towards its viewers, as if to whisper in your ears and assure, “No matter what you have done in your past, we forgive you.” And that is a pretty heavy takeaway to feel light.
Emilia Pérez premiered at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024.