Film Review: Emilia Pérez 

Emilia Pérez
Director: Jaques Audiard
Why Not Productions, Page 114, Pathé,
France 2 Cinéma, Saint Laurent Productions
In Theaters: 11.01

In 2021, the movie musical experienced something of a renaissance with In The Heights, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Tick, Tick… Boom!, and Steven Spielberg’s brilliant take on West Side Story. Admittedly, Dear Evan Hansen was a big, gaping, tire-shredding pothole in the middle of an otherwise smooth ride, but it was an exciting time overall for fans of the genre, and it look like the start of something, yet we’ve had precious little to follow it up. This fall started off an excess of bad notes in Joker: Folie à Deux, and one can’t be blamed for having taste in their mouth about it. Take heart, friends, because Emilia Pérez is a metaphorical musical Listerine to counteract that cinematic halitosis of Joker: Folie à Deux.

In Mexico, Rita Moro Castro (Zoe Saldaña, Star Trek, Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy) is a junior lawyer who’s long been the true talent behind her boss’s courtroom triumph. She soon finds herself in the back of a limousine with a black bag over her head, face to face with a much feared cartel boss, Juan Manitas De Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón, El Señor de los Cielos, The Noble Family), whose gruff, growly voice and beard hide a person than no one has ever met. Manitas wants Rita’s help in staging a disappearance, starting a new life and most importantly, undergoing surgery to transition into the women that she has always known herself to be—she justneeds a resourceful fixer to handle all of the details. Rita travels the globe looking for the right doctor for the job while also making sure to square away all of Manitas’ personal affairs, getting his wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez, Ramona and Beezus, Only Murder in the Building) and children into a safe house in Switzerland just as Manitas’ disappears and is declared dead.  Five years later, Rita has a chance encounter with a tall, elegant woman named Emilia Pérez—‚Manitas’ new identity. Together, they create La Luceita, a foundation to help families of cartel victims find their missing loved ones, or their remains, and they bring Jessi and the kids to Mexico under the guise that Emilia is Manitas’ cousin. Everything seems perfect, but despite her best efforts, Emilia cannot fully escape from Manitas’ dark past nor the darker side of herself.

Writer/director Jaques Audiard (Rust and Bone, The Sisters Brothers) ignites the screen with an unapologetically pulpy soap opera-fairy tale mash-up that is alternately dark noir and a vibrant celebration of self discovery. While a Spanish language LGBTQ+ crime drama musical may not be the easiest sell in movie history, those who give it a chance will discover a spellbinding story, filled with fascinating characters, energetic musical numbers and a lot to say about what it’s like to feel trapped by what you’re born into, and striving to redefine yourself on your own terms. The music by Clément Ducol and Camille may not have you humming every tune when you leave the theater (especially if you don’t hum in Spanish), but it has a penetrating and inspired quality that had me transfixed. The opening number, “El Alegato”—a rousing, fiery song and dance sequence in the streets of Mexico City at night, as Rita laments the injustice of the world she finds herself in—is unabashedly cynical and angry, yet it’s not long at all before the soulful “El Encuentro” shifts the tone to mysteriously and almost magically hopeful. The tender “Papa”, sung by Emilia and a son that doesn’t know that his aunt is really his father, is unforgettably touching.  I was frequently reminded of Alan Parker’s 1996 version of Evita, with Saldaña making a marvelous substitute for Antonio Banderas, though I must emphasize that the comparison shouldn’t be taken too seriously, as Emilia Pérez is truly one of a kind.

Saldaña sizzles as Rita, andis very much the lead character for the first third . Once Manitas transitions into Emilia, the focus shifts a bit, and Gascón gives a triumphant performance in both roles. While the make-up for Manitas is extreme, it works given the heightened reality of the piece, and Gascón’s ability to thoroughly bring both sides of the same coin to life so convincingly is divine, creating a towering performance and a character who is destined to be a pop culture icon. Gomez is given one of her most interesting roles to date, and brings multiple layers to Jesi. Adriana Paz (Las Horas Muertas) is enchanting as Emilia’s new love, Epifanía, and Mark Ivanir (Schindler’s List, Kajillionaire) is quite memorable as Dr. Wasserman, the surgeon who grudgingly agrees to perform Emilia’s gender affirming surgery and hide her past identity.

It’s something of a given that Emilia Pérez is not a movie for all tastes, but it had me hooked from beginning to end, and it’s likely to be stuck in my head for a while. If you’re craving a truly unique and audacious movie going experience, I strongly urge you to open your mind and heart to this film. –Patrick Gibbs

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