Emilia Pérez - English subtitled
Sparkling musical thriller by Jacques Audiard (Les Olympiades) about a Mexican drug boss who has one big wish: to transform into a woman. Winner of the Jury Prize and an ensemble award for the actresses at Cannes.
French filmmaker Jacques Audiard (UN PROPHÈTE, DHEEPAN, DE ROUILLE ET D'OS, THE SISTERS BROTHERS) has already ventured into many genres in his impressive career, but a Spanish-language transgender gangster musical is also a novelty for the French grandmaster. EMILIA PEREZ is the story of Rita, a talented lawyer who one day receives a dangerous but also extremely lucrative assignment. Drug cartel leader Manitas hires her to stage his own death, after which he secretly wants to undergo gender-affirming surgery. With Rita’s help, Manitas gains a new identity: Emilia Perez. Will Manitas really succeed in building a new life?
EMILIA PEREZ was among the most acclaimed films of the past edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Audiard surprised friend and foe with this super-entertaining musical that, while having a high camp factor – which drew comparisons to the work of Pedro Almodóvar – is also suspenseful and even moving. The question Audiard raises along the way is whether, with the transformation of the cartel leader, a better human being emerges. Does Mexican machismo perhaps stem from the frustrations of men not being allowed to show their feminine side?
EMILIA PEREZ won both the Jury Prize and the Best Actress prize at Cannes, which was awarded to Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz and the amazing Karla Sofia Gascón in the role of Emilia Perez. (mv)