Emilia Pérez Review: Unique, Profound, and Evocative Make This One of The Year's Best Films
In our current political climate, it is important to tell a wide variety of stories that showcase the humanity of people of all backgrounds and genders. It is also important to tell complicated stories that show the good and the bad that people are capable of. Emilia Pérez is an important story that showcases the horror of the Mexican cartels, the personal struggles of someone transitioning and navigating their new identity, and how it is never too late to make amends for the mistakes we have made in the past. It is a movie musical that is as profound as it is important. The lead cast is absolutely amazing, with career performances from everyone involved.
The story of Emilia Perez follows a drug cartel Juan "Manitas" Del Monte as they recruit a struggling lawyer Rita Mora Castro to help him transition secretly and to start a new life. They offer her a large sum of money to keep their secret. She is also tasked with moving their wife and kids to protect them from cartels after they stage a fake death. Years later, Manitas has now transitioned into Emilia Perez and she tracks down Rita. She asks her to help her reunite with their wife and kids under the guise of a distant cousin. As they begin to settle into their new life, Emilia is faced with her past crimes, and uses her influence and power to help the victims of cartel violence to locate the bodies of their missing loved ones. But can she set her own emotions aside to become a good person, especially after her wife begins to see a former lover?
Musically, the movie utilizes many different influences from latin america and mexico and rap to emphasize the emotional journey of each character. Each number is unique, with color and shadow highlighting the subject matter, such as when Zoey Saldana is dancing and rapping on tables around affluent individuals, or Selena Gomez singing in a karaoke booth drenched in red hues with her rekindled romance. There is also a powerful marching procession near the end of the film that draws a lot of influence from Mexican culture. The movie is based on the opera, so the music feels less like your typical stage musical theatrics and more spoken word singing, with some exceptions of pop influence.
The acting is superb, with a standout performance by trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón. The film handles the transition of Emilia with care, highlighting her struggles with her gender identity, who she was before transitioning, and how she navigates her new life as a woman. She isn’t portrayed as being perfect, and Sofia Garcon takes care to express every emotion from happiness, sadness, anger, and jealousy that comes across natural and never forced. Zoey Saldana and Selena Gomez are also fantastic in their roles, with Zoey naturally evolving her character from being depressed to being confident in her role, and Selena Gomez navigating grief through new love, and a justifiable anger when things don’t make sense in her perspective.
One thing I found refreshing is the story does not shy away from the issues of transgendered people and the complications that come with it. It shows Emilia as a strong yet deeply flawed character without demonizing her. She is allowed to be fully human, with love interests, jealousy, violence, regret, sadness, and beauty. The film is beautifully shot, well written, and with award worthy performances from everyone in the cast.
Pros
-Excellent performances from actors
-Unique and profound story
-Excellent writing
Cons
-No issues of note
Final score: 9.5 out of 10