The film received multiple Oscar nominations, including the first for a trans performer, Karla Sofía Gascón, in the best actress category.
Tough, disturbing film, full of songs and horrors, very French but almost entirely spoken in Spanish and set mostly in Mexico with two Mexican characters played by an American and a Spanish woman, “Emilia Pérez” For some it will be the most unique and welcome surprise, for others it will be just something more strange than good, and for everyone it will be a captivating piece that continues without rest even when it goes a bit off the rails. Many Mexicans who move online declared war on her even without having seen her. But others like Guillermo del Toromaster of disturbing oddities, declared their love for him.
Leading the cast, receiving praise and jeers, and Oscar nominations and awards, are Zoe Saldana in the role of her life as a lawyer tired of serving vile causes; Karla Sofia Gascóndrug trafficker about to make a momentous and secret change; Selena Gomezthe American drug cartel; Adriana Pazunexpected rest of the warrior; the Venezuelan Edgar Ramirez, third in contention, and the Ukrainian Mark Ivanir like the Israeli doctor who clarifies something essential when asked to intervene in a gender change: “Lady, you know that I only fix the body, skin, bones, but I will never fix the soul. If he is he, she will be him. If he is a wolf, she will be a wolf. If he is the wolf, you will be his sheep.”.
That’s what the movie is about. Of partial and deep pain, evils entrenched in people, attempts at change and partial redemptions. It is full of twists, surprises and mockery of fate. And songs. It is a work so passionate and acidic, that perhaps it could only reach us with those artifices of singing. But not the conventional singing of musical films.
Here the songs are about discomfort, anguish, naked accusation. More than singing, they sing, or rap, but with a different use of rap. Better. Sometimes the phrasing drags like a drunk’s confession (“I don’t lack wool, I don’t lack to kill”), other times they come out quickly, indignant. (Zoe Saldana in “The plea” and “The evil”of amazing and very demanding interpretation), they jump happily and giddy (“Vaginoplasty”seeing is believing) or they explode unhappy, resentful (Selena Gomez in “My way”), they form a duo for a moral duel (“Lady”by Saldaña and Mark Ivanir), or they are a finite, finite thread in the voice of a creature who misses his father.
Separate paragraph, “For”also called “Here we are”with a chorus of common, suffering people, representing the mourners of those “disappeared” by drug traffickers. “To know where, when, who and how it happened”says the first line, in crescendo, and it gives you goosebumps because, word by word, that song can become an anthem, from Mexico down and from these pampas up, except, perhaps, Costa Rica and Uruguay.
Authors and composers, Clemente Ducol and Camille Dalmaiswhich signs only Camille and reinforces some themes with his voice. They also adapted “Les passantes”, by Antoine Pol and Georges Brassens, changing the lyrics a bit for the heartfelt Mexican interpretation of Adriana Paz (“I dedicate this poem to the one who was so loved for fleeting moments”).
Director of “Emilia Pérez”, Jacques Audiard72 years old, more than 50 in the profession, first as a librettist, then also as a filmmaker. Among his works, “Watch men fall.”with Trintignant, “A very discreet hero”, the romantic ones “Read my lips”, “The beat of my heart” (better the original title, “De battre mon coeur s’est arreté”, from beating my heart has stopped) and “Metal and bone”, and stories in other languages, with people from other cultures, “A prophet”an Algerian in the Corsican mafia, “Dheepan“, former Tamil guerrilla who is not allowed to live in peace, “The Sisters Brothers”, professional assassins in the old Far West. These three have just been added “Emilia Pérez”. By the way, Jacques Audiard is the youngest son of Michael Audiardlibrettist of Belmondo, Jean Gabin, Delon and Lino Venturaamong other popular artists. The eldest son was an assistant director when he died in an accident.
“Emilia Pérez” (France, 2024); Dir.: Jacques Audiard; Int.: Zoe Saldaña, Karla Gascón, Selena Gómez, Adriana Paz, Edgar Ramírez.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
