By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA-- What will Hollywood think of next?
"Emilia Perez," directed and co-written by
Jacques Audiard ("The Sisters Brothers"), is a bold blend of French and Spanish storytelling. Based on Audiard's own opera libretto, which is loosely adapted from
Boris Razon's 2018 novel "Ecoute," the film attempts to weave together elements of crime, music, and transgender identity into a singular experience.
However, despite a stellar cast featuring
Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofía Gascon, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Edgar Ramirez, "Emilia Perez" struggles under the weight of its own complexities and fails mightily to deliver an engaging and solid story.
N2Entertainment.net recently attended the press junket for "Emilia Perez" and the cast and crew discussed the filmmaking process and what the movie meant to them.
REEL MOVIE TALK.
Set against a vibrant backdrop, "Emilia Perez" follows the titular character Karla Sofía Gascon ("We Are the Nobles") who portrays Manitas Del Monte, a tough and violent male gang leader determined to undergo surgery to transition into a woman.
Enter Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldana, TV's "Lioness"). She's an ambitious lawyer that has won numerous cases for her firm, but still is undervalued and underappreciated. Let me just say this. As much as "Emilia Perez" is being touted for Karla Sofia Gascon's performance, for me Saldana and Selena Gomez are the film's true standouts here and the saving grace of the movie.
Saldana is having quite a year and deservedly so. On Oct. 22, Saldana was among the top honorees recognized by the
Critics Choice Association for her film achievements at The
4th Annual Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television.
In addition, Selena Gomez brings depth to her role as Jessi Del Monte in "Emilia Perez," skillfully portraying the complexities of a woman caught in the tumultuous world of her husband, Manitas. Her performance resonates with emotional weight, capturing Jessi's struggles, resilience, and the impact of her husband’s secretive journey and the effect it has on her and their kids.
Manitas instructs his goons to kidnap Rita, revealing his plans through an unexpected and grating musical number. He offers her a substantial sum of money to help stage his death, allowing him to begin anew as Emilia Perez. Meanwhile, the devastating impact of his deceit looms large, as his wife and child are left to grapple with the fallout of his fabricated demise.
Reluctantly, Rita agrees to the scheme, a decision that profoundly alters the course of her own life in ways she could never have anticipated.
There are far too many moving parts in "Emilia Perez" notably, when Emilia decides to become an activist for families suffering through cartel violence. This seems to come out of nowhere. It doesn't resonate or feel believable and isn't as powerful as it should. It basically sets up Emilia to meet and become romantically involved with another abused woman named Epifania (Adriana Paz, "City of Dreams").
"Emilia Perez" had potential to work as a drama/crime thriller, but when the music and preachiness of it all takes shape, everything is thrown out of whack. There is an appalling, preachy musical sequence in the film about a vaginoplasty procedure that's meant to be funny but is simply beyond the pale.
"Emilia Perez" becomes a patchwork of ideas rather than a cohesive, polished and engaging movie. Perhaps with a more focused approach, Audiard's ambitious project could have been something special, but this truly misses the mark.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Look At This Trailer For
"EMILIA PEREZ"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
