36/43
Jacques Audiard’s first Spanish-language film
Line of Events
In Mexico, a lawyer receives an unexpected offer to help a feared cartel boss retire from his business and disappear forever by becoming the woman he always wanted to be. Karla Sofía Gascón talks about the two years of preparation it took to land this demanding role in Jacques Audiard’s film, and the two extremes of her own personality she had to play as Emilia and Manitas. A French title card misspells the Indian city as “Dehli.” Seen in Latino Slant: La Bamba Remake, Tarantino has a BIG mouth, the SPICE of Jenna & Selena Shocked!
El TrioWritten by Camille, Clément Ducol and Jacques AudiardPerformed by Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana
(2024). Emilia Pérez is a 2024 musical drama starring Zoe Saldana as Rita, a lawyer who does her job until a drug lord kidnaps her and demands a sex change. Selena Gomez plays Jessi, the drug lord’s wife, who, after the sex change she knows nothing about, is adjusting to her new life with the children she raised with him.
Most of the story is told with musical numbers, so if you don’t like this genre, steer clear
And then, of course, there’s Karla Sofía Gascón in the role of Emilia Pérez, the drug lord who has changed her gender and continues to build her empire (no longer calling herself “him”). This film in particular had a very strange effect on me after it ended, as I was kind of blind watching it, and to be honest, you should too, as the film in general is very unexpected in places and also quite weird. After the director and actors presented the film to us, the film began and the audience laughed and enjoyed some aspects of the film and I appreciate that.
The musical performance at the end was boring in my opinion but I think it summed up the story a little bit
The film really shines because of its amazing cinematography (which was breathtaking to say the least), the powerful acting from everyone involved and some of the musical numbers. I say “some” of the musical numbers now because most of them are pretty good and impactful to the story but as the film progressed the musical numbers became much less mind blowing than before and thus became cliches. But don’t listen to me because there is a film for everyone and I really enjoyed some elements of this film and I think most of you will too when it comes out soon.
Note: London Film Festival opening gala
Overall, while not as great an execution as I had hoped, Emilia Pérez is still a cinematic achievement with musical numbers and great acting that really make the film even more exciting and entertaining. If you like musicals, give Emilia Pérez a chance, I think he delivers what audiences can expect from him. No need to waste time scrolling endlessly – here’s the full lineup of new films and TV shows streaming on Netflix this month.
