“Emilia Pérez” review: A curious Spanish-language musical comedy crime film

Director Jacques Audiard’s film “Emilia Pérez” was released on Netflix Nov. 13. Audiard, who is French, has become “known for hard-hitting crime dramas.” “Emilia Pérez” does not match with the other works in his repertoire, as a Spanish-language crime musical with some elements of comedy. If that collection of adjectives was not intriguing enough, the movie is also described as “audacious” and as unfolding “through a fever dream of original songs and dance.” Combine these descriptions with the film’s strong LGBTQ+ themes, and, as strange as it seems, you get the most accurate explanation of the film you can find.

“Emilia Pérez” follows talented lawyer Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña), who is hired to assist Mexican cartel leader Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) undergo gender-affirming surgery and begin a new, authentic life as a woman named Emilia Pérez. Selena Gomez plays Pérez’s former wife, Jessi, who moves from Mexico to Switzerland with their two children, under the impression that Manitas is dead. The fourth “remarkable” woman of the film is Epifanía (Adriana Paz), with whom Pérez begins a lesbian relationship following her transition. Together, these four actresses won the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actress Award, the first time in history that a transgender woman received the award.

With a runtime of 2 hours and 12 minutes, “Emilia Pérez” feels longer than necessary. Although the film’s original score by French singer-songwriter Camille is sonically cohesive and creates moments for audience reflection, the music is largely forgettable. Without the songs, the movie would be more succinct and coherent, however, it would lose some of its uniqueness. 

One song, “La Vaginoplastia,” occurs while Saldaña’s Castro visits Bangkok to meet a doctor. The doctor teaches Castro about the process of gender-affirming surgery through singing about various operations. Songs like this one seem to serve more as comic relief than instruments for increasing audience  sympathy. With a purely comedic purpose, the songs feel out of place and unnecessary. 

In some cases, such as when Perez breaks out into song about her desire to undergo gender-affirming surgery, the song detracts from the emotional depth of the moment and pulls the viewer out of the story. There is a stark contrast between the kidnapping of Saldaña’s vulnerable character by the aggressive cartel boss and that boss’ song about deep feelings. This dichotomy is not only unsettling, but it also undermines the importance of Gascón’s coming out. Even though the film is marketed partially as a comedy, comedic moments are as out of place as the songs are, with the audience laughing more at the film than with it.

Reactions to the film have been mixed. Critic Mey Rude wrote for LGBTQ+ magazine Out that “‘Emilia Pérez’ isn't just one of the best trans movies you'll ever see, it's one of the most unique and brilliant films of the year.”  Emily Maskell, writing for the LGBTQ+ news website PinkNews, however, said that “the embrace of song, dance and dramatics still lacks any semblance of depth beyond camp aesthetics and the reactionary treatment of a trans character.” 

On the technical side, each shot in the film is thoughtfully composed and lit. The film’s early scenes feel darker than necessary, but following Pérez’s transition, the film brightens significantly, creating a more content atmosphere. Lighting is skillfully used throughout the film to convey emotion in a way that the musical numbers do not.

Overall, the film is a stereotype-filled, bizarre hallucination, marked with exceptional acting and beautiful cinematography. While “Emilia Pérez” thematically falls flat in some aspects, it is also an inspiration, with four strong Latina lead actresses, LGBTQ+ themes and a unique blend of genres.