Emilia Perez, director Jacques Audiard‘s latest film, is one of the most original films I’ve seen in quite a while. It’s part soap opera, part social commentary, part musical and it’s filled with great performances. But, the sum results are debatable.
Set in Mexico City, Zoe Saldana stars as Rita, a lawyer who, at the time we first meet her, is tasked with making her boss look good by writing his closing arguments in his latest criminal trial. With her help, they win the case but he takes all of the credit, which seems to be par for the course. Later that night, she gets a mysterious call from a cartel boss, Manitas (Karla Sofía Gascón) asking for help. He wants to leave his life, which includes his wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and kids behind and transition into a woman. Not a small order but if she accepts, millions of dollars will be transferred to a Swiss bank account and she’ll be set for life.
She agrees and is soon hustling his family out of the country, while facilitating his upcoming operation.
Cut to four years later and Rita is at a business dinner and “randomly” meets a woman named Emilia Perez (Gascón again). She pretty quickly figures out that it’s Manitas who is again seeking her help, this time she wants her kids back. She agrees and before long, the pair become business partners and friends, for better and worse.
The cast is terrific. Saldana is game for anything here and she really grounds the movie, whether she’s singing and dancing (who knew she could dance and sing?) or seeing the horrific aftermath of drug cartels. Gomez was really good as well, and it was fun to see her back in Spring Breakers mode. I’d never seen Gascón before but her turn as a high-powered cartel boss who transitions (both figuratively and literally) into someone the exact opposite was totally convincing.
But yet…
Why did the filmmakers feel like it had to be a musical? Most of the songs didn’t reveal anything beyond what we already knew and with musicals, they’re revealing plot points and story or something internally that characters are feeling into song. The film at times reminded me of the Leos Carax film Annette, starring Adam Driver, where the characters randomly broke into song. It didn’t work there and it doesn’t work here either, although the songs in that film were much better.
And the third act of the film began to feel like an over-the-top soap opera. There’s a kidnapping, a car crash and the goodwill from the first half has just been exhausted.
My admiration for everyone involved in the film is huge, I just wish it left me leaving the theater on a higher note as opposed to, “What the heck was that?”
