Emilia Pérez Review: A Bold And Messy Mexican Trans Crime Musical [CANNES 2024]

We've been complaining for ages that we want to see more original stories at the cinema, but a Mexican trans crime musical? Now we're talking! Director Jacques Audiard, best known for films like "The Beat That My Heart Skipped," "A Prophet," and "The Sisters Brothers," brings a boldness to "Emilia Pérez" that encourages each of his performers to be utterly fearless. Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez add musical chops and Hollywood wattage to the production, but it's Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia Pérez who steals the show with a magnetic screen presence you can't tear your eyes away from.

Rita (Saldaña) is a brilliant lawyer from Mexico City who's getting a little sick and tired of working constantly in the shadows of her male colleagues, writing the legal arguments that continually help free their scumbag clients for a variety of heinous crimes. But one night, she gets a mysterious offer that's part lifeline, part deal with the devil. A big-time cartel boss, Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón), has an unusual proposition for her: he comes out to her as trans, and has decided that he would like to fully transition. Rita's mission, should she choose to accept it, is to facilitate this process, from researching doctors to using legal mechanisms to help Manitas fully disappear once the myriad of surgeries are complete. Rita will be rich, Manitas will be able to live authentically, and everyone can go home happy.

Well, sort of. Fast forward four years and Manitas — now Emilia Pérez – has the life she's always dreamed of. Except for one thing: she desperately misses her two children, both of whom she left behind with their mother Jessi (Selena Gomez) in Switzerland, where they could live in safety under the assumption that their gangster father had died. Enlisting the aid of Rita once more, she engineers a way for Jessi and the kids to come home to Mexico and live with her, pretending to be Manitas' cousin. But what initially seems like a fairly elegant solution quickly begins to fall apart.

"Emilia Pérez" is billed as an original musical, and it's certainly that, although some of its songs work better than others. They have a tendency to be delivered directly to camera, and that combined with some extremely earnest lyrics can make them feel a little bit goofy. That said, there are a few songs — especially from Rita and Jessi — that are genuine bops, ranging from wildly energetic to deeply heartfelt. Hopefully by the time the movie hits theaters, they will have remixed it, because the version that premiered at Cannes had the backing music dramatically overpowering the vocals.

But songs and narrative aside, the greatest asset "Emilia Pérez" has going for it is the electrifying screen presence of Karla Sofía Gascón in the titular role. From the moment we see her as Emilia, she feels light as a feather, unburdened by her past life and overjoyed by the opportunity she has to simply be herself. She's a force of nature and difficult not to like, so much so that it's easy to forget the violence and cruelty she inflicted on others as Manitas.

In fact, that's probably the biggest issue with "Emilia Pérez" – its willingness to wave aside everything that Manitas was simply because Emilia is so much more appealing. The film wants to grapple with the social issues of corruption, gang violence, and rampant kidnappings that are a major epidemic in many parts of Mexico. They even have Emilia start her own NGO to help track down the bodies of missing individuals who were presumably kidnapped and murdered by the drug cartels, barely acknowledging her role in all of that pain and violence. You can have a character grow from their past actions, make a decision to change, and do everything in their power to mitigate the damage they caused — that's fine. But here, Emilia is almost given a free pass, presumably because she considers her identity as Emilia as wholly distinct from that of Manitas. There's even one point where she solemnly asks Rita how many missing people there must be in Mexico — you're probably the best person to answer that, Emilia, considering how many people you disappeared in your time! The work of the NGO in the film is powerful and it undoubtedly shines a light on one of the biggest national problems plaguing Mexico, but to have Emilia at the center of it with barely a mention of her past feels off.

So on "Emilia Pérez," where do we land? We certainly give it credit for the inventiveness and energy of its original songs, and the compassionate way that Emilia is treated by the film, even if it may come across as cringingly earnest for some viewers. Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón have an incredibly moving chemistry together as their relationship evolves from colleagues to friends to almost sisters. "Emilia Pérez" can certainly be messy, but it's rarely a mess, and many audiences might just fall in love with its audacious, chaotic energy.

"Emilia Pérez" premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Wide release plans have yet to be announced.