Emilia Pérez is a Spanish-language musical comedy-drama directed and co-written by Jacques Audiard. The film made a significant impact when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, earning an 11-minute standing ovation that brought its stars—Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Adriana Paz—to tears.
The film’s music, composed by French musician Clément Ducol—who also worked on The Little Prince (2015)—features “heartbreaking ballads and lyrically clever show tunes,” according to Rolling Stone.
The movie theme may seem odd as it features topics like cartels, trans people and musicals, all in the same place. But it seems like it was well-received by the public, and we can’t wait to see it!
What’s the Story of Emilia Pérez?
The plot revolves around Emilia Pérez (portrayed by Gascón), a former cartel leader who fakes her death and undergoes gender-affirming surgery, fulfilling a long-held desire.
Now living as Emilia, she attempts to distance herself from her criminal past and start fresh. However, she misses her wife, Jessi Del Monte (Selena Gomez), and their two children, who believe she is dead. To reconnect with them, Emilia asks her old friend Rita to help her pretend to be a distant relative so she can visit her family in Mexico.
Is Emilia Pérez Based on a True Story?
No, Emilia Pérez is not based on a true story. According to Vanity Fair, Audiard conceived the idea during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The inspiration came from a plot detail in Boris Razon’s 2018 novel Écoute, which tells the story of a drug dealer planning to undergo gender-affirming surgery. This initial concept evolved into an opera libretto and eventually became a screenplay.
Although they may all seem disperse, music, crime and trans issues were a key part of the film’s appeal. “Something in Mexico deeply shocks me—these problems of missing people. There are entire regions you can’t enter because they’re not safe,” the director said. “I wanted to create a musical, so why not set it against the backdrop of a tragedy?”
Read also: Selena Gomez Receives 9 Minutes of Applause at Cannes
So even though it is all fictional, it remarks a reality in the country, along with the transphobia that surrounds the world.
Who’s in Emilia Pérez?
The cast includes Zoe Saldaña as a disillusioned lawyer, Selena Gomez as the wife of the ex-drug lord, Édgar Ramírez as a dangerous romantic interest, and Karla Sofía Gascón as the cartel kingpin yearning to leave behind a life of crime and finally become the woman she’s always wanted to be.
The film’s music, composed by French musician Clément Ducol—who also worked on The Little Prince (2015)—features “heartbreaking ballads and lyrically clever show tunes,” according to Rolling Stone.
