In an interview with the New York Times, director Jacques Audiard said that if one were to publish a history of the French musical, it would be a very slim volume. Personally, he’s not a fan of the genre, mainly appreciating musicals that have a political message. At the same time, Audiard had for many years been thinking of making a small opera. Finally, the opportunity came in the shape of a novel about a cartel boss in Mexico who decides to transition into a woman. The subject intrigued Audiard who adapted the novel as an opera libretto. Does this sound like a person who’s not interested in the genre?
The right time to transition
In Boris Razon’s novel, the Mexico City lawyer we’re first introduced to was a man. Here, it’s a woman who’s approached by a cartel boss, Juan ”Manitas” Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón), who needs her help traveling the world to find the best suited surgeon for a gender-affirming operation. Manitas has always known, since he was a child, that he’s actually a woman and the time has come to make it happen. The attorney, Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña), is shocked but agrees to help him. She finds a doctor in Tel Aviv and after the cartel boss is ”killed” she helps Manita’s wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and children relocate to Switzerland where they can mourn their husband and father in peace.
Four years later, at a dinner in London, Rita is approached by a beautiful and charismatic woman, Emilia Pérez… and it takes Rita a few minutes to put the pieces together.
Finding a balance
Emilia Pérez is the kind of movie that leaves no one indifferent. The story itself is arresting enough and Audiard tries to find a balance between the sensationalism and the film’s more earnest message: depicting Mexico’s problem with thousands of people who have disappeared during the nation’s ”war on drugs”. After transitioning, the former cartel boss is confronted with the evil deeds of her past and begins a movement to find justice for the victims and families. Out of guilt, no doubt; it’s up to the audience to decide how genuine her effort is. Emilia is a complex character and when she’s reunited with her former wife, posing as Manita’s sister, things get very strange indeed. After an amusing beginning that looks like a new Mrs. Doubtfire, a dark path is waiting because Emilia is not a woman who takes no for an answer.
Zoe Saldaña is on fire in her musical sequences.
Part of what makes the film so compelling is the outstanding performances by the two leads. Saldaña is on fire in her musical sequences, especially the one titled ”El mal” where Rita, in a striking red suit, comments on the corrupt nature of Emilia’s donors. And then there’s Gascón, who’s quite the revelation. The transgender actress is equally impressive as the intimidating, very masculine Manitas and the feminine, authoritative Emilia, two performances united by her fiery, dark eyes. There were moments when I didn’t believe that Jessi wouldn’t realize that the children’s aunt, who seems to be doing so well with them, might in fact be her former husband (especially since it only takes Rita a moment to realize the truth)… but then again, this is primarily a fantasy.
So much in the film is eye-popping and engaging. If you’re not a fan though, you will question its wild shifts in tone and the quality of the musical numbers. It’s an uneven collection of songs by Camille; some of them feel like they’re intruding on the story, not elevating it.
Emilia Pérez 2024-France. 132 min. Color. Widescreen. Written and directed by Jacques Audiard. Novel: Boris Razon (”Écoute”). Cinematography: Paul Guilhaume. Editing: Juliette Welfling. Songs: Camille. Costume Design: Virginie Montel. Cast: Zoe Saldaña (Rita Mora Castro), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez/Juan ”Manitas” Del Monte), Selena Gomez (Jessi Del Monte), Adriana Paz, Édgar Ramírez, Mark Ivanir.
Trivia: Co-produced by Audiard and the Dardennes brothers.
Cannes: Jury Prize, Best Actress (Saldaña, Gomez, Gascón, Paz). European Film Awards: Best Editor.
Last word: “Camille worked with a great translator, Karla Aviles, who’s Mexican. But throughout the shoot we had problems, for instance, with Selena’s accent in Spanish. She is Texan. Karla Sofía Gascón speaks Castilian Spanish. She’s from Madrid. Given that I don’t speak Spanish, the nuances of the Mexican accent versus the Castilian were lost on me. We had all these problems with accents, but we fixed them in the edit. We did a lot of dubbing.” (Audiard, The New York Times)
