Cover The cast of ‘Emilia Perez: (L-R) Adriana Paz, Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Édgar Ramírez at the Los Angeles premiere of the film, in November 2024 (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Netflix)
The cast of ‘Emilia Perez: (L-R) Adriana Paz, Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Édgar Ramírez at the Los Angeles premiere of the film, in November 2024 (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Netflix)
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All you need to know about the somewhat controversial, hard-to-describe awards darling
In a year filled with cinematic surprises, Emilia Pérez has emerged as a standout, captivating audiences and critics alike with its audacious storytelling and genre-defying boldness. Directed by French director Jacques Audiard, the Spanish-language musical crime comedy is about into the transformation of Juan “Manitas” Del Monte, a notorious Mexican cartel leader who embarks on a journey of self-reinvention as Emilia Pérez. Anchored by a career-defining turn from Karla Sofía Gascón, the visually sumptuous, emotionally stirring film has earned 13 nominations at this year’s Academy Awards, the most of any project.
This adds to an already impressive awards season for the film, which earned 10 nominations at the 82nd Golden Globes awards, winning four. It also won the Jury Prize and the Best Actress Prize at Cannes, where it debuted last year.
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It’s not been without its share of criticism. It’s been slammed for perpetuating stereotypes of the Latino community. Additionally, casting choices such as Selena Gomez—who had to learn Spanish for her role—highlight missed opportunities to elevate Mexican actors. Controversially, the influential Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (Glaad) called the film a “profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman” and “a step backward for trans representation”, noting that none of the rave reviews for the movie were written by critics who were trans.
Release dates have not been announced for Asia, though Emilia Pérez is now streaming on Netflix in the US, UK and Canada. Whilst we wait, here are a few things you should know about the film of the season.
The plot
Emilia Pérez is based on director Jacques Audiard's opera libretto, which was loosely adapted from Boris Razon's 2018 novel Écoute. The film follows Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón), a Mexican cartel leader who enlists the help of a talented lawyer, Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña), to orchestrate an elaborate escape plan—one that involves not just disappearing from his criminal empire, but also embracing his long-held desire to transition and live life as his true self, Emilia Pérez.
Years later, however, Emilia finds herself wanting to reunite with her children, so she introduces herself as a distant cousin of Manitas, who volunteers to help raise the children with Manitas’ then wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez). As the story unfolds, Rita finds herself deeply entangled in Manitas' world, navigating moral dilemmas and the dangerous undercurrents of the cartel while forging an unexpected bond with her enigmatic client.
The music
The original songs in Emilia Pérez were composed by French singer Camille, who also composed the original score with Clément Ducol.
The soundtrack is one of the more lauded aspects of the film. It features an eclectic blend of genres, ranging from Latin-inspired rhythms to modern pop and classical influences. This mix reflects the complex layers of Pérez's identity, bridging her Mexican roots and her evolving self.
While most of the songs are performed by the actors themselves, another controversy arose as AI cloning was used to enhance Gascón's singing voice, The film’s re-recording mixer Cyril Holtz said they needed to increase the range of Gascón’s vocal register; they also used Respeecher, an AI speech software, to blend her singing with Camille’s.
The lead actress
Gascón is the first openly trans actress to lead a major international musical film. She is also the first openly trans woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe in the film acting category, and the first to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting.
Gascón already made history at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival as the first transgender woman to win the Best Actress award. Following this achievement, she faced controversy when French far-right politician Marion Maréchal referred to her as “a man” in a social media post criticising her win. In response, Gascón filed a legal complaint against Maréchal for “sexist insult on the basis of gender identity.”
