Movies|The film about the Mexican drug cartel breaks out into song and dance.
Emilia Perez is French, especially known for gritty crime stories Jacques Audiardin the name of the new movie and its main character.
The film’s Emilia Pérez is a penniless Mexican philanthropist with a secret. Before the gender reassignment process, he was known as cartel boss Manitas.
The secret is known to lawyer Rita, who suffers from a moral conflict. In order to break the glass ceiling in his field, he agreed to work for the cartel. Conscience torments Pérez and Rita also because Manitas’ wife and mother of the children, Jessi, does not know the truth.
Emilia Perez is a melodrama of great emotions, a hard-hitting crime film – and a musical. At the climax, the characters break into song and dance. Jess is played by a pop star Selena Gomez.
“Audiard never called this a musical”, clarifies the one who plays Rita Zoë Saldana.
“He was talking about the opera.”
Saldaña is especially known for sci-fi and spectacles such as Avatar– about the main characters of the movies and Marvel Guardians of the Galaxyista.
“I read the script completely confused. Of course I wanted to join, because this is something so unusual,” he says.
“I also thought about the dangers. I’m American, so taking a huge artistic leap felt dangerous. But I trusted Audiard.”
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“Sheer madness: a story set in Mexico shot in France.”
From Emilia Pérez expect a flurry of Oscar nominations. The performers of the main roles were awarded as the best actresses of Cannes, and the film itself was awarded the jury prize. In addition to the awards for best film, direction and screenplay at the European Film Awards, it brought Karla Sofia Gascónille the actress award.
The film is a breakthrough for Gascón, who plays Pérez and Manitas. Spanish Gascón has lived in Mexico for a long time and appeared in soap operas and movies.
He, too, laughs when describing his first reactions to the draft script.
“Sheer madness: a story set in Mexico, shot in France, with singing and dancing, even though it’s a drug cartel,” says Gascón.
“And there is gender reassignment.”
Karla Sofía Gascón has already won awards for her leading role in the Emilia Pérez film.
Gascón is a trans woman. He tells by Emilia Pérez preparations with Audiard lasted a couple of years. The director-writer wanted to understand the process that Gascón has gone through.
“In the beginning, Audiard wasn’t sure if I would play Manita. I had to convince him,” says Gascón.
“I explained to him what it all means that Manitas has always been a woman.”
Gascon says that the filming meant a frightening return to a state of drastic mental and physical change.
“In the end, filmmaking was an inner release from that phase of my life where I had been two people inside of me, of which only one remained.”
He says that the core of the film’s story lies in the roles that people place themselves in.
“And it doesn’t just tell about the characters’ roles in their own lives, but about how masculinity and violence are reflected in society as a whole,” he reflects.
Mexico and the world of cartels is a milieu where things escalate to extremes.
“In general, women have more mental freedom and less physical freedom than men. Emilia has a freer mind than Manitas. But I enjoyed the physicality of Manitas’ role.”
Actresses Karla Sofía Gascón (left), Zoë Saldaña and Selena Gomez attended The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles in October.
Saldaña was a dancer before her film acting career. For him, musicals and enjoying them were the way to a profession.
“I’m from New York and we used to line up for last minute Broadway tickets every week. I saw it when I was young Rentin fourteen times,” Saldaña says.
Gascón jokes that Emilia Perez still being interpreted for Broadway.
“But I’ll be honest, I don’t like musicals. They are such a difficult species. Last time I liked La La Landista.”
French director Jacques Audiard’s previous well-known films are The Prophet and Bones and Bones.
Jacques Audiard is a French man in his seventies, whose well-known films are gangster stories Prophet (2010) and a love story about the underworld To the bones and marrow (2012).
Although by Emilia Pérez review and audience reception is mainly positive, critical voices have also been heard. Is Audiard the right person to tell a typically Mexican story about cartel victims and a trans person?
“I think it’s valuable that Audiard chose these communities to tell a story about and to which he gives his all artistically,” says Zoë Saldaña.
“The film gives visibility, but also challenges the viewer. Even without this personal experience, Audiard has the ability to tell a powerful story.”
Karla Sof’ía Gascón reminds us that the film is not a documentary.
“The story is aggravating, but the characters are treated with warmth. I am really proud of the characters that have been created in the film,” he describes.
“This is a film that gives hope, where light shines even from the heart of darkness.”
Emilia Pérez in cinemas from January 10.