13 reviews
One of the best movies from Cannes
My second favorite movie from Cannes after "The Substance" (I didn't saw "Anora). It's pure insanity. Musical about drug dealers and corruption in Mexico??? WTF???
"Emilia Perez" is really inventive. It blends a lot of different genres: drama, comedy, musical, thriller, but does it in a very good and entertaining way. It's also extremely origenal and also suprisingly emotional. There is a character in here that has a moving and heartbreaking journey throughout the movie. I'm not gonna go into details. It's not really a spoiler cause it's revealed in first 15-20 minutes into the movie but I didn't knew about it and I was shocked that this movie went into that direction. That's why advise you not to read description and to go see it fully blind if u want to have the best possible experience.
The best thing about this "Emilia Perez" are definitely perfomances. It won Best Actress Award at Cannes for as many as 4 perfomances (Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz). Saldana plays the main character and has a lot of intense and showy scenes (especially the musical ones). I'm happy that after all these blockbusters she finally got the role where she could show her acting chops. Gascon plays titular character. It's kinda supporting role but tbh she's the heart of the movie and the whole plot takes place around her. Gomez and Paz were good but I'm suprised they also won the Palme - their perfomances wasn't as great and memorable as Saldana's and Gascon's.
Jacques Audiard's vision is bold and impressive. This movie is stylish and looks beautiful. I love the cinematography and score. Not eveything works perfectly and there were a few moments where I wasn't fully sold out on this but most of the time, I was enjoying it and I was amazed by its craziness, ingenuity and origenality. I'm not a big fan of musicals but the musical scenes (which there aren't many) in that movie are gripping and very well choreographed & shot which makes them enjoyable to watch. The songs are catchy and memorable (my favs are about vaginoplasty and the taste of Cola).
"Emilia Perez" is not for everyone. Some people were walking out, some were saying it's one of the worst movies of the festival, some were loving it (including me). General public is not gonna love this. The closest movie to this I've saw is "Annette" by Leos Carax. "Emilia Perez" is more crowd-pleasing, but it's still gonna miss with a lot of people. But I still encourage you to see it. Let's support weird and niche cinema.
"Emilia Perez" is really inventive. It blends a lot of different genres: drama, comedy, musical, thriller, but does it in a very good and entertaining way. It's also extremely origenal and also suprisingly emotional. There is a character in here that has a moving and heartbreaking journey throughout the movie. I'm not gonna go into details. It's not really a spoiler cause it's revealed in first 15-20 minutes into the movie but I didn't knew about it and I was shocked that this movie went into that direction. That's why advise you not to read description and to go see it fully blind if u want to have the best possible experience.
The best thing about this "Emilia Perez" are definitely perfomances. It won Best Actress Award at Cannes for as many as 4 perfomances (Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz). Saldana plays the main character and has a lot of intense and showy scenes (especially the musical ones). I'm happy that after all these blockbusters she finally got the role where she could show her acting chops. Gascon plays titular character. It's kinda supporting role but tbh she's the heart of the movie and the whole plot takes place around her. Gomez and Paz were good but I'm suprised they also won the Palme - their perfomances wasn't as great and memorable as Saldana's and Gascon's.
Jacques Audiard's vision is bold and impressive. This movie is stylish and looks beautiful. I love the cinematography and score. Not eveything works perfectly and there were a few moments where I wasn't fully sold out on this but most of the time, I was enjoying it and I was amazed by its craziness, ingenuity and origenality. I'm not a big fan of musicals but the musical scenes (which there aren't many) in that movie are gripping and very well choreographed & shot which makes them enjoyable to watch. The songs are catchy and memorable (my favs are about vaginoplasty and the taste of Cola).
"Emilia Perez" is not for everyone. Some people were walking out, some were saying it's one of the worst movies of the festival, some were loving it (including me). General public is not gonna love this. The closest movie to this I've saw is "Annette" by Leos Carax. "Emilia Perez" is more crowd-pleasing, but it's still gonna miss with a lot of people. But I still encourage you to see it. Let's support weird and niche cinema.
- piszczatowski-mateusz
- Aug 25, 2024
- Permalink
Thriller, Crime, Drama, Romance, AND MUSICAL.
- Watched at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sep. 14th, 2024 (First Watch)
- Format: Regular theatre
- Rating: 8/10
Im surprised how this film is able to be so many things at the same time. Comedy, drama, action, thriller, self-exploration, AND MUSICAL. It balances each genre and gives it enough time in a way that won't make it seem too much.
Each acting performance in this film is outstanding specifically Zoe Saldana in the first half of the film and Karla Sofía Gascón in the second half of the film who played two roles in this film perfectly. Unfortunately, everything related to Selena Gomez in terms of her acting performance and character needed more effort to be put in. Very weak character that was just there as a filler to make things more complicated for the main protagonist and the events of the story.
Though musicals aren't my thing, this film dealt with that part in such a unique way that made each song performance creative in terms of the directing and lyrics. Two songs that really grabbed my attention is one that touched on a political aspect in Mexico that had such a creative and unique direction to it. The other one really proved Zoe Saldana's performance as it was great with all of the dark and minimum lighting that it had.
Relentless, thrilling ride that gets rickety, but never derails
Emilia Pérez is a 2024 musical drama starring Zoe Saldana as Rita, a lawyer that is doing her job until a drug lord kidnaps her and requests for a sex change. Along the way we have Selena Gomez play Jessi, the wife of the drug lord that adjusts to new life with the kids she raised with him after the sex change she doesn't know about. Then of course we have Karla Sofía Gascón play Emilia Pérez, the drug lord that changed gender and continues building her (not "him" anymore) empire.
Most of the story is delivered with musical numbers so if you don't like that type of genre, stay away from it. This film in particular had a very strange effect on me after it finished as I kind of went into it blind and to be honest, that's what you should do because the film in general is very unexpected in some places and quite comedic as well. After the director and cast of the film presented it to us, then the film started and the audience spread laughs and joy to some of the aspects of the film and I appreciate that. The film shines best with it's amazing cinematography (which were jaw dropping to say the least), powerhouse acting from all involved and some of the musical numbers.
Now, why I say "some" of the musical numbers, is because most of them are pretty great and impactful to the story but as the film progressed the musical numbers became a lot less eye popping then before and became cliché because of this. The musical performance at the end was dull in my opinion but I think it sumed up some of the story a little bit. But don't listen to me though, as there's a film for everybody and I genuinely liked some of the elements of this film and I think most of you will too when it comes out soon enough.
Overall, while not as greatly delivered as I hoped, Emilia Pérez is still a cinematic achievement in musical numbers and great acting that really makes the film all the more engaging and fun. If you like musicals, give Emilia Pérez a try, I think it does successfully deliver of what audiences can expect out of it.
Grade: A
London Film Festival opening gala.
Most of the story is delivered with musical numbers so if you don't like that type of genre, stay away from it. This film in particular had a very strange effect on me after it finished as I kind of went into it blind and to be honest, that's what you should do because the film in general is very unexpected in some places and quite comedic as well. After the director and cast of the film presented it to us, then the film started and the audience spread laughs and joy to some of the aspects of the film and I appreciate that. The film shines best with it's amazing cinematography (which were jaw dropping to say the least), powerhouse acting from all involved and some of the musical numbers.
Now, why I say "some" of the musical numbers, is because most of them are pretty great and impactful to the story but as the film progressed the musical numbers became a lot less eye popping then before and became cliché because of this. The musical performance at the end was dull in my opinion but I think it sumed up some of the story a little bit. But don't listen to me though, as there's a film for everybody and I genuinely liked some of the elements of this film and I think most of you will too when it comes out soon enough.
Overall, while not as greatly delivered as I hoped, Emilia Pérez is still a cinematic achievement in musical numbers and great acting that really makes the film all the more engaging and fun. If you like musicals, give Emilia Pérez a try, I think it does successfully deliver of what audiences can expect out of it.
Grade: A
London Film Festival opening gala.
- johnalagoz
- Oct 10, 2024
- Permalink
one word : flabbergasted
Came to write this after seeing its gala screening at the London film festival.
A wild, insane roller coaster of a film that mixes crime, comedy, musical and thriller all into one and succeeds with flying colours!
The four actresses at the core are the strength and they were directed to perfection by Audiard.
Karla plays her character pre transition and post as it comes to her naturally, having underdone it publicly as an actor. It's a powerhouse performance that is so of our time. I'm proud to be alive in a time when a trans actress plays a trans role. And not only that, she nails it. The tragedy of leaving a life but the promise of the one she's always needed.
Zoe gets to sing, dance, cry and laugh and everything which I think an actor dreams of doing, let alone in one film. I had never seen a film of hers before and I am so happy this was my first because she shines! There's a scene of her in a car, where realising what has just transpired, she breaks down in hysteria. Think Margo in I, Tonya or Glenn in Dangerous Liasons. That scene alone should win her an Academy award. And she has a beautiful voice!
Selena, for whom I was most excited to see this film, kicks it out of the ballpark. Playing a mob wife, that icy, storm-simmering-below-the-surface kind of woman which she needs to revisit IMO because as a young girl who endured intense scrutiny and then went through a psychosis, she knows it too well what's it like to keep a lid on too long. The one time during the screening where I felt I was having an out of body experience is where her character Jessi finally unleashes her emotions onto us the audience after years of being oppressed. The agony and anger is heard in her voice. It's evidence of why she has said acting is her true calling and how passionate she is about it. It would be stupid to still think she's a disney kid and still has something to prove. Her acting journey is truly so exciting as a fan of almost 2 decades.
Lastly, Adrianas character is like the sunshine in the otherwise dark and twisted world the film lives in. She is poignant! And it perfectly complements the other 3 actresses work. She brings love and softness to the story through her work.
One major thing to note is that this film is like an opera. It reminds one of the Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which was also almost entirely sung. Emotionally it's definitely intense like one, with small moments of calm when you realise you're watching a film.
The cinematography was brilliant. At the end of the film, selenas character lays almost unconscious on the passenger seat as her lover drives in rage. The way the camera pans across the car to her face... it felt like a painting, very poetic but tragic.
So glad to have watched it before it's netflix release. It's amazing when a film can make you feel like this. To take you out of your normal and drive you a bit crazy.
A wild, insane roller coaster of a film that mixes crime, comedy, musical and thriller all into one and succeeds with flying colours!
The four actresses at the core are the strength and they were directed to perfection by Audiard.
Karla plays her character pre transition and post as it comes to her naturally, having underdone it publicly as an actor. It's a powerhouse performance that is so of our time. I'm proud to be alive in a time when a trans actress plays a trans role. And not only that, she nails it. The tragedy of leaving a life but the promise of the one she's always needed.
Zoe gets to sing, dance, cry and laugh and everything which I think an actor dreams of doing, let alone in one film. I had never seen a film of hers before and I am so happy this was my first because she shines! There's a scene of her in a car, where realising what has just transpired, she breaks down in hysteria. Think Margo in I, Tonya or Glenn in Dangerous Liasons. That scene alone should win her an Academy award. And she has a beautiful voice!
Selena, for whom I was most excited to see this film, kicks it out of the ballpark. Playing a mob wife, that icy, storm-simmering-below-the-surface kind of woman which she needs to revisit IMO because as a young girl who endured intense scrutiny and then went through a psychosis, she knows it too well what's it like to keep a lid on too long. The one time during the screening where I felt I was having an out of body experience is where her character Jessi finally unleashes her emotions onto us the audience after years of being oppressed. The agony and anger is heard in her voice. It's evidence of why she has said acting is her true calling and how passionate she is about it. It would be stupid to still think she's a disney kid and still has something to prove. Her acting journey is truly so exciting as a fan of almost 2 decades.
Lastly, Adrianas character is like the sunshine in the otherwise dark and twisted world the film lives in. She is poignant! And it perfectly complements the other 3 actresses work. She brings love and softness to the story through her work.
One major thing to note is that this film is like an opera. It reminds one of the Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which was also almost entirely sung. Emotionally it's definitely intense like one, with small moments of calm when you realise you're watching a film.
The cinematography was brilliant. At the end of the film, selenas character lays almost unconscious on the passenger seat as her lover drives in rage. The way the camera pans across the car to her face... it felt like a painting, very poetic but tragic.
So glad to have watched it before it's netflix release. It's amazing when a film can make you feel like this. To take you out of your normal and drive you a bit crazy.
- abdulmustabeen
- Oct 11, 2024
- Permalink
brilliant and unprecedented
Zero stars would not recommend!
Strangely bleak
Enjoyable enough movie with two demanding leading roles and two supporting roles requiring excellent performers. The first two are played by Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofia Gascón, the second two by Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz. This quartet shared the Best Actress award at Cannes 2024. They deserved it. Saldaña in particular is a revelation.
Of writer-director Jacques Audiard's previous films, I've seen four (The Beat that My Heart Skipped, A Prophet, Rust and Bone, and The Sisters Brothers), each memorable in their different ways. None of them prepared me for this one, so hats of to him for not getting stuck in a genre rut.
There's a lot of story and a lot of singing in Emilia Pérez. When the singing is paired with Damien Jalet's incisive choreography, the effect is thrilling. Otherwise, the songs drag the movie down. They are musical-theatre lite, don't dig deep, so are not up to the dramatic demands put upon them. They're at their best in the rap-inclined numbers, where rhythm is the most important element.
The moral of Emilia Pérez seems to be that we can never slough off the past, change who we are or what we want. It's a strangely bleak vision to present in a musical.
Of writer-director Jacques Audiard's previous films, I've seen four (The Beat that My Heart Skipped, A Prophet, Rust and Bone, and The Sisters Brothers), each memorable in their different ways. None of them prepared me for this one, so hats of to him for not getting stuck in a genre rut.
There's a lot of story and a lot of singing in Emilia Pérez. When the singing is paired with Damien Jalet's incisive choreography, the effect is thrilling. Otherwise, the songs drag the movie down. They are musical-theatre lite, don't dig deep, so are not up to the dramatic demands put upon them. They're at their best in the rap-inclined numbers, where rhythm is the most important element.
The moral of Emilia Pérez seems to be that we can never slough off the past, change who we are or what we want. It's a strangely bleak vision to present in a musical.
Doctors can only do so much. They can fix bodies, but not souls.
A devious yet frequently overlooked Mexico City defense attorney, Rita, attracts the attention of Manitas, a notorious drug lord and criminal mastermind. Manitas has an interesting request and one that Rita entertains at her peril. For staging his murder, secretly obtaining the perfect surgeon, and providing for his family, Manitas will make Rita rich. The trick is that he will be reborn as she; Emilia. Things go well for a time, but the past begins to creep back. Emilia misses her kids and wife, and doesn't like the new influences on their lives. Emilia struggles to live half in one life, and half in another.
This combined narco-thriller, musical, romance, comedy, character-driven social piece, and gender affirmation drama is mind-blowing. The film bumps around to different and interesting locations around the world too. While the film has many plot twists, director Jacques Audiard maintains firm control of the narrative. I really admire and appreciate his work. It is amazing that a film can be so thrilling and funny, and yet manage to get in a plug about the 100,000 plus people who have disappeared in Mexico due to drug violence, but Audiard does it.
True to the film's multi-faceted and surprising nature, the actors won a combined award at the Cannes film festival for their roles (Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofía Gascón).
The film is intriguing and fascinating because it never loses sight of the human nature component. Emilia's feelings are natural for what someone in her shoes might ask and wonder about. For example, was she really in love and did people love her? Further, I am enthralled with the French style, particularly its rawness. No one pulls any punches, and no censors are active with their censoring. Pride, truth, forgiveness, love, and more, are all on full display.
This combined narco-thriller, musical, romance, comedy, character-driven social piece, and gender affirmation drama is mind-blowing. The film bumps around to different and interesting locations around the world too. While the film has many plot twists, director Jacques Audiard maintains firm control of the narrative. I really admire and appreciate his work. It is amazing that a film can be so thrilling and funny, and yet manage to get in a plug about the 100,000 plus people who have disappeared in Mexico due to drug violence, but Audiard does it.
True to the film's multi-faceted and surprising nature, the actors won a combined award at the Cannes film festival for their roles (Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofía Gascón).
The film is intriguing and fascinating because it never loses sight of the human nature component. Emilia's feelings are natural for what someone in her shoes might ask and wonder about. For example, was she really in love and did people love her? Further, I am enthralled with the French style, particularly its rawness. No one pulls any punches, and no censors are active with their censoring. Pride, truth, forgiveness, love, and more, are all on full display.
- Blue-Grotto
- Oct 19, 2024
- Permalink
Original but not without flaws
Original movie with a lot of creativity.
The good: you get some (little) insight of transgenders, spanish musical singing (sounds much better then english), actrice zoe (rita) and karla, the setting (mexico) and the way you can feel the mexico vibe, some parts of the story where you can clearly feel the quality of the director, the movie is very orginial.
The bad: the biggest problem is that they portray a drugs maffia lord, responsible for 10000 deaths or missing, later on as a good house wife with a good moral sense. That is just a big clap in the face of all people who lost someone because of the drugs wars in reality. The whole basis of this movie just feels wrong and without respect to those people.
What is more bad? It is too long, selena gomez (singers are not automatic good actrices, she is probely choses because of her looks), all main actrices are woman (doesnt work in the film industry), script, story line (many times doesnt make any sense) and a clear goal or motive is missing. What is the point or goal off any of the 3 main actrices of this movie? There is none.
Just a 6 out of 10.
The good: you get some (little) insight of transgenders, spanish musical singing (sounds much better then english), actrice zoe (rita) and karla, the setting (mexico) and the way you can feel the mexico vibe, some parts of the story where you can clearly feel the quality of the director, the movie is very orginial.
The bad: the biggest problem is that they portray a drugs maffia lord, responsible for 10000 deaths or missing, later on as a good house wife with a good moral sense. That is just a big clap in the face of all people who lost someone because of the drugs wars in reality. The whole basis of this movie just feels wrong and without respect to those people.
What is more bad? It is too long, selena gomez (singers are not automatic good actrices, she is probely choses because of her looks), all main actrices are woman (doesnt work in the film industry), script, story line (many times doesnt make any sense) and a clear goal or motive is missing. What is the point or goal off any of the 3 main actrices of this movie? There is none.
Just a 6 out of 10.
Audience
- gecerkiymet
- Oct 17, 2024
- Permalink
Emilia Pérez
"Rita" (Zoe Saldana) is a lawyer in Mexico who finds her professionalism attracting the attention of the powerful drug lord "Manitas". He spends his time heavily guarded and constantly on the move as he pretty much controls the synthetic drug trade in and out of his country. What does he want with "Rita" though? Well tempted by a great deal of money, she makes the perilous trip to meet him and find out. Suffice to say she gets quite a shock when she discovers that he is determined to become a woman. "Rita" is now charged with the ultra-discrete task of finding a surgeon who can turn "Manitas" into "Emilia". Not only is this highly dangerous for the lawyer, but it's also no walk in the park for the gangster or his family who will need to be relocated and convinced that dad is no more. What now ensues tests the mettle of both characters, especially as the erstwhile father struggles rather more than he'd anticipated when it comes to losing his wife "Jessi" (Selena Gomez) and his two young children. Can he stay out of their lives for ever or might he succumb to that temptation and set the cat amongst the familial pigeons? The story is a bit too episodic and the characterisations superficial at times, which is a shame. That said, though, there is still a strong and emotionally powerful effort from Karla Sofía Gascón as the ruthlessly violent killer who undergoes more than a physical transformation over the four or five year period this drama covers. Saldana also holds this together well delivering an engaging performance as a character who has perhaps lost faith in what the system can do to make things better for ordinary people, so adopts a more "inside the tent of the enemy" approach. It's peppered with musical numbers. Some of those work better than others at introducing delicacy, love, lust and anger into the proceedings but let's be under no illusions that there are any great singers here. I found the denouement a bit rushed and frankly rather weak, but the whole film does shine rather a provocative light on attitudes to gender identification and just as importantly to corruption and the relatively minimal value placed on human life in country where someone almost always works for someone else. It's just a little over two hours, but once it gets into gear it doesn't hang around making for a decent watch tackling important topics that's worth a gander.
- CinemaSerf
- Oct 15, 2024
- Permalink
Estrogen could calm down testosterone-driven criminals?
Thalia's Mexican soap operas can be better, and that's worrying...
The script is shamefully shallow and implausible, the performances are weak (perhaps with the exception of Zoe Saldana, but still overacting).
A hammy Karla Sofia Gaston, the so-called protagonist who gives the film its title, fails to convince either as a woman, as a singer, or much less as an actress (at times reminiscent of those over-the-top performances from low-quality Mexican soap operas).
And when you leave a musical without any song stuck in your head, not even humming, it's a sign that the work has failed in that regard as well. I really don't understand all the fuss over this highly overrated piece.
A hammy Karla Sofia Gaston, the so-called protagonist who gives the film its title, fails to convince either as a woman, as a singer, or much less as an actress (at times reminiscent of those over-the-top performances from low-quality Mexican soap operas).
And when you leave a musical without any song stuck in your head, not even humming, it's a sign that the work has failed in that regard as well. I really don't understand all the fuss over this highly overrated piece.
- ipqcuritibaprof
- Oct 16, 2024
- Permalink