Emilia Pérez (Netflix) Review: Big Swing, Big Miss
Streaming Movie Review - Thriller/Musical/LGBTQ - Netflix
I believe I have gone on a journey of self-discovery every decade of my life. Some have been personal, some have been professional, but it feels like every time I’m approaching a milestone birthday, an aspect of my life has required some level of examination and often an accompanying change. Knowing that about myself, I was interested in seeing Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, which is now streaming on Netflix.
Rita (Zoe Saldana) is a lawyer in Mexico who seems unable to break through in her profession. She has resigned herself to a life of obscurity when she is kidnapped by a Mexican kingpin who confides to have been taking hormones for two years and wants Rita to find a doctor who can complete the transition to being a woman. Rita does this, takes the money, and leaves Mexico. Later, in London, she meets Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón), who she recognizes as the same drug lord she helped in Mexico. Now, her goal is to help her ex-wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and their sons. Along the way, Rita and Emilia find a passion to help those who have gone missing due to the drug wars.
Now, take all of that and set it to music.
One of the first things to know about Emilia Pérez is that this movie swings for the fences. A unique storytelling method, stunning visuals, and some outstanding performances can give the impression that this will be a home run. Unfortunately, when you swing like that, you often miss, and this movie was a miss.
Most of the miss is in the character development. We have no idea what drove Emilia to her transition and why she felt that she had to abandon her family to do it. We have no idea why her lawyer, who only knew her for a few moments, could recognize her, but her wife of years could not. We don’t get a clear idea why she has a front-facing role in her charity work when that risks her being recognized. There are questions on questions in this movie.
Nevertheless, the performances, particularly for Saldana and Gascón, are electric. This is a musical, and while much of the music is kind of a mess, her spotlight piece “El Mal” is one of the best in the film. Gascón brings so much heart and soul to Emilia that she makes it easier to overlook the many flaws in the story. While Gomez feels somewhat wasted in her role, she and Gascón share a lovely moment near the end of the film that also tries to redeem much of the messiness.
Ultimately, however, this movie tackles a number of weighty issues but only does so with a cursory understanding of those topics. There are flashes of brilliance in Emilia Pérez, but there are also flashes of ignorance. What flashes the brightest will likely be in the eye of the beholder.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on November 16, 2024.