‘Emilia Perez’ review: Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez let loose in flawed musical melodrama

Movies don’t come much bigger, bolder and more bombastic than French director Jacques Audiard’s genre-defying Emilia Perez. Combining cartel crime thrills with telenovela-style melodrama and the occasional musical number makes it a frenzied, inconsistent viewing experience while the highlights come via the committed performances of its three leading ladies.

The first is Zoe Saldaña, who plays Rita, a lawyer living in Mexico. Despite working hard to get to where she is, Rita is uninspired by her plateauing career and dreams of something better paid and more fulfilling. She finds that when she gets a call from mob boss Manitas (Karla Sofía Gascón) with an unexpected request – help him find a doctor to carry out gender reassignment surgery. One small problem, that new life also requires him to fake his own death, leaving wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and the children to go on without him.

However tricky that task sounds, Rita obliges and the surgery happens – with Manitas waking up as Emilia Perez. Years later the pair run into each other at a fancy restaurant and soon start working together on Emilia’s new philanthropic ventures. But when the former mobster insists on introducing herself back into Jessi’s life, which now involves volatile partner Gustavo (Édgar Ramirez), her past ends up coming back to haunt her.

It’s a convoluted and, at times, ridiculous premise – but the core trio provide enough energy, emotion and versatility to just about carry it through. Gascón is particularly impressive, unrecognisable as Manitas and a warm, empathetic presence as Emilia. That a trans actress is playing the central role is key for grounding the film in authenticity rather than any kind of othering – especially during the first act, when it’s unclear what kind of view on transness the film is expressing.

Gomez showcases her star quality throughout, particularly in the musical moments while Saldaña breaks out of the blockbuster constraints of Marvel and Avatar to dazzling effect. Her opening number and a tongue-in-cheek tune in which she dances on tables at a fancy event are the standout sequences, making it all the more maddening when she moves into a supporting role as the film goes on.

Whilst its blend of influences make Emilia Perez unique, they also make it exhausting. The personal impact of Emilia’s transition is undercut by a ludicrous song with lyrics about vaginoplasty, any grittiness from the drug cartel thread gets smoothed over by the schmaltzy sentimentality that surrounds it and the flashes of real visual flair act are bogged down by the twisting, tiresome plot. You’ve probably never seen a movie like Emilia Perez before – and whilst there is enough meat in the performances to make you somewhat glad you did, you might not want to again.

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