5.0 out of 5 star rating
A unique and groundbreaking musical, Emilia Pérez, penned by Jacques Audiard, is an imaginative, globetrotting story that transcends traditional gender boundaries and explores various genres.
The acclaimed French filmmaker known for intense dramas like A Prophet and Dheepan, which won at Cannes, has never ventured into musicals before, expressing minimal enthusiasm for the lavish musical productions popular in Hollywood during its Golden Age.
However, Emilia Pérez is a movie that selectively combines elements from various genres to create something fresh and invigorating, rather than simply fitting into an existing category.
The movie opens as the diligent yet overwhelmed lawyer Rita (played by Zoe Saldaña from Avatar) receives an enigmatic and somewhat foreboding phone call. Subsequently, Rita is escorted to a newsstand, where she encounters drug lord Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón). In this rephrased version, the scenario remains the same, but the language has been made more conversational and easier to understand.
As a devoted cinephile, I reach out to you, Rita, seeking your invaluable assistance. It’s not about extricating Manitas from a legal predicament this time around. Instead, for the past two years, this formidable figure in the cartel world has been undergoing hormone therapy. Manitas, deeply yearning for change, desires your guidance to arrange for the transition surgery and help her embark on this new chapter of her life.
In a more casual and straightforward rephrase: Manitas’s wish sets off a series of events that skillfully avoid turning Emilia Pérez’s story into an overly dramatic, soap-operatic tale. This is achieved by Audiard, who based his adaptation on Boris Razon’s 2018 novel Écoute.
Despite the film’s abrupt tonal changes as Manitas transforms into Emilia, Audiard skillfully manages to maintain a balance, keeping multiple narrative threads aloft. With the staged death of the drug lord, even Jessi (Selena Gomez), his spouse and mother of their children, is led to believe that her husband has met his end.
In the future, Rita encounters Emilia during a meal, without initially recognizing her. Later, it’s revealed that Emilia aims to reconnect with Jessi and her distant relatives, but she also intends to shed light on a pressing issue: the missing individuals in Mexican society who have run afoul of corrupt officials.
As a movie lover, I must say, the transformation of a Narcos-esque tale into a profound exploration of gender identity, then further evolving into a compelling narrative about social justice was nothing short of remarkable in the eyes of director Audiard and his longtime writing partner Thomas Bidegain. Quite an impressive journey indeed!
As a passionate fan, I can’t help but be captivated by the intricate narrative of this tale, with its music providing a strong foundation. The unforgettable score and songs are masterfully crafted by the talented French duo, Clément Ducol and Camille, who together have created an auditory backdrop that truly brings the story to life.
Just as captivating is the choreography by Damien Jalet, who has previously collaborated on Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s giallo horror Suspiria, featuring distinctive dance sequences. Certain performances, such as ‘Vaginoplastia’, a spectacular Busby Berkeley-esque number where Rita pleads with a Tel Aviv surgeon to assist Manitas, are guaranteed to leave you speechless.
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Nevertheless, these female leads – Gascón, Saldaña, Gomez, and Adriana Paz (portraying the enigmatic Epifanía) – each received recognition with a Best Actress award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for their captivating performances.
Even though Saldaña and Gomez delivered strong performances in Spanish, they were outperformed by Gascón, who impressively played both Manitas and Emilia after undergoing sex reassignment surgery. It’s likely that she will become the first transgender actress to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress next year.
For Audiard, this film marks a departure from his usual comfort zone, although the gritty underworld setting may still seem familiar to fans of his work, dating back to films like the 2005 remake of The Beat That My Heart Skipped (Fingers). His collaboration on the musical sequences is thrilling, but what truly stands out is Emilia Pérez’s ability to seamlessly blend different genres.
This extraordinary tale of a cartel, unlike anything you’ll witness this year, has left me in awe, making even the gripping stories of Breaking Bad and Narcos feel almost mundane by comparison. I can’t recommend it enough!
Emilia Perez movie hits selected theaters on October 25th and will be streaming on Netflix starting November 13th for as low as £4.99 per month. You can also catch Netflix on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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2024-10-11 19:34