Ok, so imagine this, a Spanish musical that takes place in Mexico involving the cartel where the macho kingpin (married to Selena Gomez’s character) wants to transition and start a new life as a woman. Not your typical movie right? And yet, besides its unconventionality, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez was nothing short of spectacular. The underlying message to follow your truth was ingrained in every note sung, every word spoken, and every tear shed (mine included).
When Manitas (Karla Sofía Gascón), the head of a Mexican cartel, kidnaps Rita Castro (Zoe Saldaña), I thought I knew where the film was headed. Rita, a talented lawyer, is often sidelined as her boss clumsily presents her flawless scripts in court. However, when Manitas asks Rita to help facilitate his gender reassignment surgery, I realize, "I have no clue what the f*** I am watching, and I love it!"
After completing the surgery, the newly transformed Emilia seeks to reconnect with her family and enlists Rita's help once more. She tasks her with finding her children and wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez). Although the children sense a familiar presence in Emilia, Jessi believes she is merely a long-lost aunt stepping in to support the family after the disappearance and presumed death of her husband.
