Emilia Pérez
★★
There are some movies that leave you with questions—big ones. Not the fun, Inception-style “What does it all mean?” kind of questions, but rather “Why was this a musical?” and “Who thought this was a good idea?” kind of questions. Emilia Pérez, the latest from Jacques Audiard, is one such film. It has an undeniably intriguing premise but manages to fumble nearly everything that could have made it great.
Let’s start with the hook: A feared Mexican drug lord (Karla Sofía Gascón) transitions into a woman and attempts to reconcile with a past she can’t escape. That setup alone should have made for a gripping crime drama, a deep character study or even a psychological thriller. But instead, Emilia Pérez opts to be…a musical? And not just a musical, but one with some of the most bafflingly bad songwriting I’ve heard in a film in recent memory.
I get it—musicals can be a powerful way to express emotion, but here, the music feels like a gimmick rather than an organic storytelling tool. The songs don't elevate the story or characters; they just exist. And the one English-language song? Oof. It’s so bad that it made me question if my ears had suddenly lost the ability to enjoy music.
Now, onto the bigger issue: the film wants us to sympathize with Emilia, but it doesn’t put in the work to earn that sympathy. Yes, she’s undergone a significant transformation, but that alone doesn’t erase the crimes of her past or make her a good person. The movie asks us to root for her simply because of her transition rather than showing us any meaningful redemption arc. We never see how she’s changed as a person—only that she has changed. And that’s not enough.
The same goes for the film’s other characters. Selena Gomez plays Emilia’s wife, but her role is so underdeveloped that she ends up feeling more like a plot device than a person. Meanwhile, Zoe Saldaña delivers a strong performance, but even she can’t save a movie that feels like a rough outline rather than a fully realized story.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Emilia Pérez is that there was potential here. This could have been a deeply moving, thought-provoking film about identity, redemption and second chances. Instead, it’s a muddled, tonally confused mess that skips over the most interesting parts of its own story. What happened in the four years Emilia disappeared? What was her journey really like? The film doesn’t seem to care, so why should we?
Honestly, this whole thing would have worked much better as a limited series. With more time to develop its characters and themes, it could have delivered a nuanced, compelling story. Instead, Emilia Pérez rushes through its plot, expecting the audience to take emotional leaps without earning them.
At the end of the day, Emilia Pérez isn’t the worst movie ever made, but it’s certainly one of the most misguided. It ultimately just feels like a missed opportunity. Two stars for Zoe Saldaña keeping this thing from completely falling apart.
