“♪ I want to love the little girl that I was never allowed to be. I want to love the grandmother that one day I might become. I want to love myself every day, every hour, every second. I am, and that is enough for me. That’s being a woman, isn’t it? I want to love myself the way I want to be loved. ♪”
This year, the 2024 edition of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival occurred in south France and saw the premieres of several noteworthy films, including the screwball comedy “Anora,” the body-horror hit “The Substance,” and a Spanish language musical from the acclaimed French auteur Jacques Audiard called “Emilia Pérez.” While it did not earn the grand prize of the Palme d’Or, for the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition, it won the Best Actress award, split between the four lead actresses in the ensemble. When the film was being sold for distribution, Netflix managed to submit the winning bid, and the film was released on Nov. 13. France has announced that the picture will be their submission to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Most industry analysts are predicting that it will not just win that award, but also receive a Best Picture nomination.
The plot follows an underappreciated lawyer in México City named Rita Mora Castro (played by Zoe Saldaña, most famous for her role as Gamora in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series) who is abducted by the feared cartel boss Juan “Manitas” (Español para “handyman”) Del Monte (played by Karla Sofía Gascón). Manitas reveals to Rita that she would like to disappear and become the woman that she has always dreamed of being: Emilia Pérez (again played by Gascón). In exchange for facilitating her lifelong dream, Rita will receive millions of dollars in payment. Rita accepts and arranges for an Israeli surgeon named Dr. Wasserman (played by Mark Ivanir) to perform the procedure, which manages to be a success.
Del Monte’s death is faked, and Pérez leaves her previous family for her new life. Understandably, her ex-wife Jessi (played by Selena Gomez) is heartbroken at losing the love of her life and moves to Switzerland with their children for safety at Rita’s behest. After four years, Pérez misses her children, and she reintroduces herself to Jessi as a distant cousin of her former spouse so she can help raise her kids once again.
Upon returning with her family to México, Emilia realizes that her previous life as a drug kingpin has resulted in a trail of kidnappings, grief, and bloodshed. She decides to make amends and starts a non-profit named “La Lucecita” (A Small Light) using her cartel connections and drug money to find and identify thousands of deceased kidnapping victims. In the process, Emilia meets and falls in love with Epifanía Flores (played by Adriana Paz) and manages to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
But Jessi has moved on, distrusting Emilia’s strong devotion to her children. She reconnects with her former lover Gustavo Brun (played by Édgar Ramírez), and she tries to leave Emilia, taking her kids with her in the process. While I refuse to spoil the climax of the film in this review, I will say that it managed to be a thrilling and satisfying conclusion to this emotional story.
If I had to share a slight criticism I had with the story, it is that the heavy focus on the role of gender confirmation surgery for gender transitioning seems a little oversimplified. Some transgender individuals are unable to afford such procedures, but it does not make them any less of a man or woman for it. This is not to diminish the great psychological and mental health benefits that the procedure can bring, but several steps are required to get to that point that could have been further fleshed out in the film.
The other technical standout of the movie would be the cinematography done by Paul Guilhaume, which manages to consistently amaze throughout the entire runtime. The musical numbers are shot with a frenetic and almost electric pace making each frame look like a visual marvel.
I have a tradition every year where I watch all of the Best Picture contenders and nominees with my Grandma, and “Emilia Pérez” was no different. I always find that having a second opinion can help you think more critically about a subject, and her thoughts on the movie are down below:
“It would have been a better novel than a film. The story was good and the acting was excellent, but there were too many songs. The movie could have been about 40 minutes shorter.”
While I felt like several songs were able to help move the plot forward and serve the film as a whole, I would agree that there were quite a few times when the music was unnecessary. Specifically, the two English language songs were extremely stilted and stood out among the rest of the musical numbers. My favorite songs from the film were the penultimate “Perdóname” (Forgive Me), “El Mal” (Evil), and “Mi Camino” (My Path). The latter two are likely to be in contention to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.
In terms of the film’s Oscar prospects, I am nearly 100% certain that it will win for Best International Feature Film, and that Zoe Saldaña will be the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress. Karla Sofía Gascón is predicted to become the first trans woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and only the second trans performer ever to receive a nomination after Elliot Page’s (pre-transition) role in the 2007 comedy “Juno.” Jacques Audiard is also expected to receive his first ever nomination for Best Director.
So, despite my issues with the pacing and a few plot points, I greatly enjoyed watching Emilia Pérez, and my rating for the film is a moving 8/10.