EMILIA PEREZ

TIFF 24 REVIEW BY: DARREN ZAKUS

DATE: OCTOBER 8, 2024

RATING: 4 out of 5

Emilia Pérez dances its way onto the big screen with the most unique blending of genres featuring great musical numbers and powerhouse performances from Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofia Gascón, and Selena Gomez that makes for one of the most provocative films of the year. 

Not only does 2024 feature a large number of movie musicals, but many of them are taking the genre in new and exciting directions beyond the standard Broadway musical adaptation that frequents the genre. Joker: Folie á Deux mixed a dark character piece and courtroom drama with a jukebox musical, Joshua Oppenheimer’s narrative debut The End attempted to bring a golden age Hollywood style musical to an end of the world story, but the boldest of genre bending within the musical genre this year is depicted in Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez. Based on the opera libretto and the novel by Boris Ranzon, this French film spoken entirely in Spanish is part musical, part family drama, and part Mexican cartel thriller, resulting in one of the most daring and sentimental films of the year revolving around the titular character, a cartel leader that undergoes gender-affirming surgery with the help of her lawyer to her them authentically as her true self, while trying to reconnect with her wife and children she was forced to leave behind. Full of high energy musical numbers, brilliant performances from its lead actress trio of Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofia Gascón, and Selena Gomez, and a thrilling and emotionally charged conclusion, Emilia Pérez is going to be one of the most talked about films of this year’s awards season due to its exceptional craftsmanship and bold genre defying story that hits all the right notes. 

With the mixing of many different film genres, there is a lot happening in the screenplay for Emilia Pérez, but Audiard seamlessly ties it all together as writer and director of the film. Choosing to emphasize the emotion of the story’s central characters at each moment, Audiard allows the beautiful character arcs to play out over the course of the film and colour the overall story. Weaving in musical numbers throughout to allow the emotion of each of the characters to be amplified in these moments and embracing the melodrama of the story and the Mexican culture on screen, Audiard is able to shift from between cartel thriller, a family drama and character exploration instantly within a single scene without sacrificing the tone of the film. Even with a rather abrupt conclusion, albeit one that hits all the right emotional notes, if you can accept the blending of genres at play in Emilia Pérez, you are in for a true treat of a cinematic experience.

As enticing as the mix of different genres in Emilia Pérez are, it’s the performances that are the highlight of the film. Saldaña has never been better as she delivers a career best performance as Rita, the young lawyer drawn into the cartel leader’s world, defining her performance by the strength and compassion that she has brought to so many great female characters over the many years of her career. It’s done with a captivating screen presence that allows Saldaña to shine unlike she ever has before, anchoring the film with a dynamic effort that flexes talents audiences have not seen from Saldaña before, but with that same dedication and empowerment that her entire career. It’s an awards worthy performance, and with Saldaña being campaigned in the Best Supporting Actress category, she is the performance to beat currently, even if she is the true lead of the film despite not being the titular character. 

Gascón amazes in the titular role, portraying the character both pre and post transition. As a trans woman herself, Gascón captures the complex feelings of not feeling as one authentic self while grappling with the life her character left behind to become Emilia. It’s a soulful performance that transcends the screen, capturing both the darkness and violence of Manitas and the care and tenderness of Emilia trying to right the wrongs of her past, resulting in a wonderful performance. Gomez, while playing out of her comedy wheelhouse where she has been at her best previously, impresses as Manitas’s wife Jessi with a very strong supporting performance where she consistently steals the scene and captures the confusion, anger, sorrow and desire of Jessi to live life on her own terms as her life is constantly changed against her will as she tries to break free from the control of her husband. Rounding out the main cast is Adriana Paz and Edgar Ramirez, both of whom are good in their roles, even if they cannot detract from the luminous brilliance of Saldaña, Gascón, and Gomez for a second. And on top of all that, the entire cast does this entirely in Spanish, something which Saldaña and Gomez have not done before in their career despite the Latina heritage and speaking Spanish growing up, adding another layer of excellence into their performances. Make no mistake, the women of Emilia Pérez will be serious contenders this awards season! 

Being a musical, Emilia Pérez is full of musical numbers, and the film itself is never afraid of fully embracing the genre and delivering a true spectacle experience from start to finish. With great songs written by Camille and a musical score from Clément Ducol, the music explodes across the screen and is brought to life by impressive dance choreography, immersive lighting decisions that lets the focus remain on the lead performers of each song and not the environment of the film, and brilliant sound design that let the vocal performances and scoring take flight. Saldaña stuns in the musical numbers with a strong singing voice and a precise execution of the dance choreography (tapping into her training as a ballet dancer and her love of dance), leading to show-stopping numbers such as “El Mal” and “El Alegato.” Given her background in the music industry, it is no surprise that Gomez nails her musical numbers with an infectious energy that makes you feel like you are watching an extravagant music video. Though it is the more emotional and powerful musical numbers featuring the film’s ensemble company such as “Para” and “Las Damas que Pasan” led by Paz that are going to linger in the audiences’ minds long after the film has concluded.  

It is bound to be divisive as there is a lot going on in Emilia Pérez on top of the fact that it is a musical spoken and sung almost exclusively in Spanish, but there is something truly captivating about it as a film. From its earnest and heartfelt storytelling, giving three excellent character arcs for its main female characters that will connect with audiences on an emotional level, Emilia Pérez is one of the most daring and rewarding features of the year. Featuring show-stopping musical numbers that bring to life the excellent music of Camille and Clément Ducol, showcasing awards worthy turns from Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofia Gascón, and Selena Gomez, the musical, genre defying spectacular that Jacques Audiard has conjured up in Emilia Pérez results in one of the year’s can’t miss films.