The fun thing about cinema is that it can offer up some pretty unique experiences…if you know where to look. Fortunately for me, on November 15th, I knew where to look on Netflix! Directed by Jacques Audiard, and starring Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, and Karla Sofía Gascón, 2024’s Emilia Pérez got many heads turning at the Cannes Film Festival. Now, it’s been unleashed upon the world!
Emilia Pérez is one of the year’s more ambitious films. It tackles a topical subject in trans representation, is spoken mostly in Spanish, and tells a tale of a gangster in the musical format. However, ambition will only take one so far, so let’s see what was done right, and what could’ve been improved.
Emilia Pérez as a Musical
2024 has been an interesting year for musicals in cinema. Some, like Mean Girls, got a somewhat sizable fanbase to develop. Others, like Joker: Folie à Deux, didn’t take advantage of the medium in the way some people thought it would. Being a bit wary of musicals personally, I didn’t know what to expect from Emilia Pérez.
What I got is a musical that won’t join the ranks of the genre’s iconic hits, but offers up some mostly decent songs and at least tries to bring something dynamic in how the camera moves! Let’s harken back to Joker: Folie à Deux. For me, too many of the musical sequences that film had felt lifeless with static camera shots and minor choreography.
With Emilia Pérez, that’s not the case. While the transitions from dialogue to song can be very rough, and there’s a couple odd lyrics throughout, I thought the cast and crew put some decent effort into making this musical an “experience”.
One of the highlights is the song “El Mal”, sung by Zoe Saldana. Set in a fundraising gala, Saldana’s Rita exposes the corruptness of the attendees through music. While Saldana’s voice and dancing are very expressive, the camera does an excellent job at moving around her, keeping you engaged.
“El Amor” is the other song I think stands out. It is sung by Karla Sofía Gascón and Adrianna Paz as their characters begin a relationship. While it’s not only the most emotionally potent song, I think the first part, sung by Gascón, is an interesting way to describe the mindset of her character. That character being…the titular character!
Does the acting deserve acclaim?
Back in May at the Cannes Film Festival, Emilia Pérez won the Best Actress award for it’s ensemble. I think that no matter what you say about the film, that award is most definitely well deserved!
Karla Sofía Gascón is Emilia Pérez, and as I hinted at before, I thought she was amazing! A trans woman herself, Gascón plays the character before and after the transition. The way she plays the unhappy male gangster is excellent, and then we see her blossom into Emilia. Gascón shows you how transitioning unlocked a truer happiness into Emilia’s life, and it pulls you into her arc wonderfully. As she becomes a humanitarian to right wrongs and juggles her past, the tension escalates.
Speaking of her past, pop star Selena Gomez plays Emilia’s former wife, Jessi. Gomez’s list of dramatic credits isn’t expansive, but she plays it well here. Due to Emilia’s transition, Jessi doesn’t really know what happens to her husband. She then tries to live her own life, and her semi-journey of self-discovery is a nice addition to the narrative.
The key that links them together is Zoe Saldana as Rita. An underappreciated lawyer, Rita is contacted to help “Manitas” (who transitions into Emilia) with having the necessary surgery, and later with Emilia’s humanitarian affairs. Saldana has done a lot of action/franchise work, so it’s nice to see her in something like this.
Much like how Emilia finds herself after her transition and Jessi explores new relationships, Rita becomes a more important individual as she helps Emilia’s business operations in finding lost cartel victims. Saldana is very good at playing timid initially, and being the bridge between nearly every plot point.
Trans Representation in Emilia Pérez
I, myself, am a cisgender male. So is the director of this movie, Jacques Audiard. In an era where many groups are looking to be better represented in media, movies like Emilia Pérez can be put under close scrutiny.
Now, I can’t pretend to fully know the trans experience, but I know many trans people, and I’m all for them living life as their true selves! Some might take issue with Audiard being the filmmaker behind the camera, which is understandable. However, perhaps if his work with this movie is popular, it will encourage more people to tell trans stories with trans filmmakers behind the camera!
Even putting aside Audiard, I think the performance from Karla Sofía Gascón will be a major talking point for a few years. So many trans people have expressed disappointment that other movies have used cisgender actors, and Gascón shows us an authenticity only someone of her experience can provide.
What I will say is that Emilia Pérez isn’t entirely focusing on Emilia’s transition. It’s also about redemption in life, accepting how people move on, while also covering two other characters’ journeys. How effective that balance is might vary from person to person.
Final Thoughts
Emilia Pérez is not my favorite movie of the year, and it’s clearly going to be divisive amongst many. However, I admire bold swings in film that can help counterbalance the steady stream of franchise films. This movie is as bold as they come!
With solid directorial flourish, a great ensemble of actresses leading the project, and using decent music to elevate the narrative and themes, Emilia Pérez dares to stand out from the crowd. If any of this sounds like something you might enjoy, give it a chance!
