The film revolves around a drug cartel leader who seeks the help of a low-level lawyer in Mexico to hide his identity and life so that he can become a woman and start a new life as well as hide his wife and children from old enemies. It is a film that explores the lives of three women who are impacted by their own situations in the world as well as the past, present, and future all driven by one person who is willing to make a change for herself to become her true self. Jacques Audiard’s screenplay, with additional contributions from Thomas Bidegain, Lea Mysius, and Nicolas Livecchi, is straightforward in its narrative as it follows a low-level lawyer in Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldana) who just won a case despite going against her own conscience where she receives a mysterious phone call as she is taken to a mysterious location while being masked where she finds herself meeting the drug lord Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Karla Sofia Gascon) who reveals to Rita that she wants to use her money to become a woman as she has already gone through two years of treatment. Rita would travel to Bangkok and Tel Aviv to see what place would be best for Manitas as she chose the latter in Dr. Wasserman (Mark Ivanir) who agrees to do the surgery.
The script would have dialogue that would be sung at times as they are written by Camille Dalmais that plays into the plight of the characters with the first act as it relates to Rita and Manitas with the latter going through his own change into the titular character as they would meet again four years later in the film’s second act. Rita would oversee a lot of things for Manitas before his final transition as it relates to his family that includes his wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) where she would stay in Switzerland for four years and then return to Mexico to live with this woman she does not know. Rita and Emilia’s return to Mexico would force the latter to think about her past life as a drug lord and the disappearances that she had caused of those where she would organize a non-profit company to help the family find those who have disappeared. The script also play into the politics and corruption within Mexico in the hand of drug cartels that Emilia was once a part of where she and Rita would gain some fulfillment. For Jessi, she feels alienated prompting her to contact a former lover.
Audiard’s direction is stylish as it is shot on location in France to play into the many different locations the characters go to. Notably as some of the scenes set in Mexico were shot in soundstages to recreate some of the places in the country including Mexico City. Audiard’s direction does use a lot of medium and wide shots to play into the chaos in Mexico with close-ups as it plays into Rita’s own plight as a Black lawyer born in the Dominican Republic who is overworked and underpaid as there is an element of racism in the way she is treated. Audiard also creates some unique camera movements for scenes involving some of the musical numbers with the aid of choreographer Damien Jalet. Particularly in scenes that has a sense of improvisation and a lot of physicality in the movement as it play into the plight of both Rita and Jessi with the latter feeling frustrated and unhappy over the loss of Manitas and her own desires as a woman.
The bending of genres do get messy as Audiard’s overall presentation is all over the place. Even in scenes that are serious yet there is some singing, but it is not presented as camp nor overly-serious where Audiard knows how to keep things simple. The film’s third act is intense as it relates to a new thing for Emilia in meeting a woman in Epifania Flores (Adriana Paz) but also in Jessi whose relationship with her lover Gustavo Brun (Edgar Ramirez) would threaten the life that Emilia has created. Especially with Rita finding herself in the middle as she realizes the severity of Jessi’s actions but also the faults in Emilia’s own planning in keeping everything secretive. Notably in not revealing her identity to Jessi who feels slight and becomes neglectful towards their children for a time where a lot becomes unveiled. Overall, Audiard crafts a riveting and wild film about a drug lord’s desire to become a woman with the help of a low-level lawyer.
Cinematographer Paul Guilhaume does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of stylish lighting for a club scene involving Jessi as well as other low-key lighting for some interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Juliette Welfling does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, rhythmic cuts, and dissolves to play into the sense of style and manic energy in some of the dancing. Production designer/set decorator Emmanuelle Duplay, along with art director/costume designer Virginie Montel plus set decorators Sandra Castello, Cecile Deleu, and Sandrine Jarron, does amazing work with the look of the exterior streets in Mexico as well as the home that Emilia has created for herself and her family with Montel providing fantastic costumes that includes the stylish dresses and clothes that Emilia, Rita, and Jessi wear.
Visual effects supervisor Cedric Fayolle does terrific work with the visual effects for a few scenes that involve set dressing in a few travel montages as well as in some of the dance numbers in the film. Sound editor Aymeric Devoldere does superb work with the sound in the way a location sounds as well as how music sounds in a car stereo and other sound effects used in the film. The film’s music by Clement Ducol is incredible for its mixture of styles ranging from Mexican folk, pop, electronic, and orchestral to play into the drama with songs by Camille Dalmais that help drive the story while music supervisors Raphaelle Dannus and Pierre Marie-Dru create a soundtrack that play into those different environments.
The casting by Christel Baras and Carla Hool is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Eduardo Alardo as Rita’s boss early in the film, Emiliano Hasan as a guilty client Rita defends early in the film, James Gerard as a British acquaintance of both Emilia and Rita, and the duo of Theo Guarin and Lucas Varoclier as Manitas and Jessi’s kids who become fond of Emilia. Edgar Ramirez is superb as a former lover of Jessi in Gustavo as a man that is fond of her despite having a past that Emilia does not approve once she learns about Jessi’s plans with him with the children. Mark Ivanir is fantastic as Dr. Wasserman as a surgeon who learns about Manitas’ transition as he agrees to help him become a woman while helping him remain anonymous. Adriana Paz is excellent as Epifania Flores as a woman that Emilia meets as she falls for her where she not only brings joy to Emilia but also a broader view of the world that only pushes her to do better for her organization.
Selena Gomez is incredible as Jessi Del Monte as Manitas’ wife who is kept in the dark about what is happening to her life where she deals with living in Switzerland and then returning to Mexico. Gomez’s performance has this air of physicality in her dancing and singing while also displaying this sense of loss of a woman that is trying to find her own fulfillment as well as answers about what her husband did. Zoe Saldana is tremendous as Rita Mora Castro as a low-level lawyer who is given the opportunity of a lifetime where she becomes rich in hiding Manitas’ identity during her transition and later becoming her partner in creating a nonprofit organization as she deals with some of the chaos and her own frustrations in life while also wanting to protect Emilia and her past identity. Finally, there’s Karla Sofia Gascon in a spectacular performance as the titular character/Juan “Manitas” Del Monte as a drug lord who wants to become a woman as he becomes uncomfortable with who he is as he used his money and power to become his true self. Once he becomes Emilia, he starts to find some joy and fulfillment in her life while also confronting the past in the hope of creating a better future for those she cares about unaware of the neglect she displays towards Jessi.
Emilia Perez is a phenomenal film by Jacques Audiard that features a trio of great performances from Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, and Selena Gomez. Along with its supporting cast, offbeat presentation, study of identity and redemption, and whimsical music soundtrack. It is a film that is not afraid to be messy as well as explore some themes of reinvention including what it means to be their true self. In the end, Emilia Perez is a sensational film by Jacques Audiard.
Jacques Audiard Films: (See How They Fall) – (A Self-Made Hero) – (Read My Lips) – (The Beat That Skipped My Heart) – A Prophet - Rust and Bone - (Dheepan) – (The Sisters Brothers) – (Paris, 13th District)
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