Wonder Watchlist

By Megan Loucks

On paper Emilia Pérez reads as too many wild ideas packed together for one story, and as a film it’s just that. A cartel boss, with the help of a new lawyer, wants to leave an old life behind to transition into the woman that has always been inside. With musical moments littered throughout the film, many ideas are brought together but seldom resolved. Emilia Pérez is captured uniquely in its camera work and bold visuals, especially during the musical moments, but suffers with its barely there characters and overstuffed plot.

From the start Emilia Pérez displays its musical pipes in full force with Rita Mora Castro, played by Zoe Saldana. A lawyer who is the brains and wordsmith amongst her colleagues. It’s obvious that Rita is passionate about her work, but there are aspects about it that aren’t fulfilling to her. She’s successful in what she does, so much so that she gets unkindly transported to a meeting with cartel boss Manitas Del Monte, played by Karla Sofía Gascón. After hearing a heartfelt plea from Manitas about wanting to transition and bragging about how rich Rita would be if she helped secure a doctor, Rita agrees to help.

The journey to find a doctor for this procedure is a task that takes Rita across the globe, desperately looking for someone to agree to Manitas’ wishes. Once Rita finds a doctor that would even consider this, she brings them to Manitas to meet one-on-one. Rita discovers that Manitas has a life that she didn’t know about before agreeing to this job. Once an agreement is made between Manitas, his doctor, and Rita, their plan gets set in motion. Manitas makes his transformation into Emilia, becoming the woman she was meant to be.

There is much to love about the performances in Emilia Pérez, especially from the titular character, with Gascón stealing each scene she is in. Paired with Saldana as Rita, who plays to her strengths with her impassioned ferocity, their moments together, especially post-transition, are strong; they have an almost sisterly connection. Both finding a passion they have in common, their work together makes their friendship flourish. Selena Gomez as Jessi brings the conflict within the trio of actresses, and although her character has the least amount of characterization in Emilia Pérez, Gomez’s performance makes you sympathize with her struggles.

The best aspects of Emilia Pérez come in the musical bits of the film; with a flash mob style, each song has a lasting impact with its unique visuals that Director Jacques Audiard weaves in smoothly. Each catchy tune has its moment to shine, with Saldana being the standout in each, allowing her to flex her dancing and singing abilities. My favorite of these numbers comes during the second act and features a large cast of people singing about their lost loved ones together as a community awaiting their moment to reunite with their bodies. Highlighted in unique camera work and cinematography, the musical portions of the film keep it interesting in an otherwise messy story.

A lot of time in Emilia Pérez is spent with Emilia post-transition in her life with her children and wife, and her work with Rita helping families harmed by cartel violence. There is much to be desired in the characterization for the three main women in the film. Each feels one-dimensional, with their lives revolving around Emilia. Jessi has the worst of this, as she is rarely seen on screen without Emilia. Rita’s life essentially revolves around Emilia after a certain point, and you see glimpses into a life that she wants. Unlike Jessi, Rita continues to get closer to Emilia, making her character arc anchored in Emilia and her choices. Emilia, as the main focus of the film, gets the most attention. But much of the progress Emilia makes in her life to distance herself from her told cartel ways is undone in the film’s final act.

As for the story in Emilia Pérez, there are aspects of it that are compelling, mostly happening in the second act of the film. This is where Emilia and Rita team up and advocate for those in Mexico affected by cartel violence. In this part, we see Emilia reforming her old ways and righting wrongs from her pre-transition life. Rita finds that her life has meaning outside of being Emilia’s lawyer, helping her tie up loose ends. Even Jessi has a glimpse of a life outside of Emilia, somewhere she can be happy. But these moments do not last long as the film’s third act takes all the progression made by these characters and throws it out the window.

There’s a mixture of genres in this film, and they do not all work well within one another. The dramatic and musical points are the highs of the film, giving many of the best character moments. Where the genre blend falls apart for me was with the action, mainly in the film’s final act. It’s bombastic for the sake of shock and feels mean-spirited towards its female characters. Further pushing the narrative that these women’s lives are anchored to Emilia without having a life of their own. With each bullet fired and explosion set off, the film further strays from its strengths and loses its focus in a blaze.

Overall Emilia Pérez has tunes that have been stuck in my head since viewing the film, and visuals that elevate a much-desired script. Unfortunately, the film has too many regressive moments for its main characters, especially its titular character, that make any positive foot ahead for them fall flat. Audiard loses focus with the blend of genres that with a lesser cast would’ve suffered even greater.

Synopsis & Rating

“From renegade auteur Jacques Audiard comes Emilia Pérez, an audacious fever dream that defies genres and expectations. Through liberating song and dance and bold visuals, this odyssey follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. The fearsome cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. Written and directed by Audiard (Rust and Bone, A Prophet), the double Cannes-winning film also stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Edgar Ramírez.”

2/5

Emilia Pérez releases on Netflix November 13, 2024 in the US and Canada.

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