Emilia Pérez (2024) Movie Review: A Technical Marvel Bites Off More Than It Can Chew

There is certainly no fault within the ambition of “Emilia Pérez,” a multi-faceted musical that attempts to touch on the transgender experience, the inherent corruption within the judicial system, the myth of the nuclear family, and Mexico’s crime epidemic. Being an original musical is audacious in its own right, as it’s rare to see a cinematic production with entirely new music when so many Broadway adaptations appear to be flopping at the box office.

While there’s not much in “Emilia Pérez” that is similar to the previous films by Jacques Audiard, it undeniably highlights his talent for making something that can initiate conversation. Unfortunately, the conversation that is bound to be generated by “Emilia Pérez” may not be entirely constructive, as the film touches on so many hot-button issues that it is bound to end up irritating a significant portion of the audience.

Inflammatory cinema is by no means a bad thing, as many of the great auteur directors crafted masterpieces that they understood wouldn’t be reclaimed for generations after their initial release. The issue with “Emilia Pérez” is that it begs to be taken seriously, and seems ostensibly designed to be a crowd-pleaser, albeit a subversive one. “Emilia Pérez” is unfortunately too haphazardly constructed to reach any solid conclusion, and by the time Audiard’s audacious crime comedy does actually wrap up, it all feels designed to be a cruel joke on any audience member that had dared to grow invested.

The titular role in “Emilia Pérez” is played by breakout star Karla Sofía Gascón, who shared the Best Actress trophy at this year’s Cannes Film Festival with three of her co-stars. After living as the ruthless drug dealer Manitas Del Monte for many years, Emilia decides to go through with gender-affirming surgery that will allow her to complete her transition and hires the hardworking lawyer, Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña) to help her keep her family safe.

Emilia Pérez (2024) Movie Review — A still from “Emilia Pérez” (2024)

Emilia’s wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and their children have no knowledge of what has occurred, as they were transported to a safe house under the assumption that they were in danger. However, the lives of these three women become intertwined four years later when Emilia decides to reassert herself into her children’s lives and becomes an unexpected advocate for giving back to the Mexican community that she had once ravaged with drug wars.

The fact that “Emilia Pérez” is a musical may seem odd, but it’s actually one of the least jarring aspects of how the film frequently changes its tones. The first segment centered on the Del Monte crime family is glitzy, hyper-stylized action mayhem that feels closer to the work of a “vulgar auteur” like Tony Scott or Brian De Palma than a prestigious character piece that walked away with the Jury Prize at Cannes. Although it may have been interesting to see how Audiard slowly transitioned this style into a social melodrama reminiscent of Pedro Almodóvar, the film cuts out any meaningful moment of insight when it chooses to cut out the period in which Rita and Emilia are separated.

Perhaps this is because Rita is really the center of the film, and Emilia’s journey of discovery and redemption is merely the inciting incident that draws a morally upstanding lawyer into a world of intrigue in which she must question her fundamental ideals. While sidelining a trans character who conforms to some rather uncomfortable stereotypes comes with its own set of issues, the core issue with “Emilia Pérez” is that there isn’t time to show why anyone’s minds are changed.

Rita’s decision to take the case, Emilia’s belief that she needs her children, and Jessi’s intention to take matters into her own hands are all announced through broad musical numbers. These types of moments would have worked if they were taking advantage of a rising sense of momentum, but instead, they feel saddled with explaining the wild direction that the story takes next.

The performances cannot be discounted, however, as even the most ardent detractors of “Emilia Pérez” would find it a challenge to deny the strength of the female ensemble. Gascón is undeniably the standout of the film, as she is able to add a sense of depth to the role, even when Audiard places her in positions that use her identity as a joke.

A core storyline in the second act revolves around Emilia attempting to show affection for her children without forsaking her real identity; a less-assured performance could have turned this into an embarrassing rendition of “Some Like It Hot,” but there’s not a moment in which Gascón’s genuine compassion and pain don’t feel entirely authentic.

Saldaña has spent years playing supporting roles in massive blockbuster properties like “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Star Trek,” and “Avatar,” so seeing her play a strong protagonist who suffers from being underappreciated is quite fitting. Rita’s decision-making process and almost immediate forgiveness of Emilia really cross the line of believability as the film makes its way into the third act, but Saldaña is so charismatic in the musical sequences that there still feels like a consistency to the character.

Gomez is also quite strong, particularly in the explosive number “Mi Camino,” in which she gets to air all of her grievances at once. While Gomez’s acting talents have been noted ever since her acclaimed work on the Hulu comedy series “Only Murders in the Building,” she is tasked with a more challenging task in “Emilia Pérez” of implying a depth of character that is simply not on the page.

“Emilia Pérez” is rarely dull, and at times its significant shifts in approach make for surprisingly visceral moments. However, there’s not a whole lot of cohesion going on in “Emilia Pérez,” as the film seems to enjoy flirting with deeper implications that it never takes the time to get into. There’s perhaps a debate to be had about whether or not Audiard was the right filmmaker to tell this story, but before that debate can be had, it’s worth examining what the implication of this wild approach to genre is when the subject material is so grave.