Emilia Pérez | Audiard (again) at the top of his art

A musical thriller set in the world of Mexican drug cartels, Emilia Perez tells the story of Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an overqualified lawyer, exploited by a Mexico City firm, who helps her boss defend criminals, which means she gets all the work and it’s He is the one who takes the credit.

A powerful drug trafficker, Manitas, recognizes Rita’s talent and offers her a Faustian pact. An offer that she can hardly refuse… Alert here to the spoiler: I invite those who prefer not to know anything about the intrigues to refrain from reading the next paragraph.

The mandate offered to Rita for several million dollars? Serving as an emissary to Manitas, married to Jessica (Selena Gomez) and father of two young boys, so that he can secretly fulfill his lifelong dream: becoming the woman he always knew he was in his innermost being. If I allow myself to divulge, it is that this is a twist that happens early in the story; we don’t talk about The Crying Game by Neil Jordan.

As Manitas – and Emilia Pérez – transgender Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón is stunning (excuse her). She won, with Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez, the Interpretation Prize at the most recent Cannes Film Festival.

Tenth feature film by Frenchman Jacques Audiard and his first shot in Spanish, Emilia PerezJury Prize at Cannes, is reminiscent in certain respects A prophetGrand Prix at Cannes in 2009, which also dealt with drug trafficking.

Emilia Perez is a moving, poignant film, which establishes a disturbing tension and an anxiety-provoking atmosphere, by tackling moral questions: can we do good with the money of evil? Is there redemption possible for the worst criminals? Can we change our deep nature?

It is also a very ambitious work, full of eccentricities, fantasies and assumed brilliance. Audiard could have ruined his life by taking so many risks. There are more unusual scenes which narrowly avoid getting out of hand: a surgeon sings in English the phrase “ From penis to vagina »…

The filmmaker ofA very discreet hero, Of rust and bone et Deephan takes on the challenge with his usual brilliance. He achieves a hybrid work which evokes both The skin I live in by Pedro Almodóvar et Sicario by Denis Villeneuve.

A œaccomplished work

At the heart ofEmilia Perezthere is of course music, which has always been present in the work of Jacques Audiard (he directed the magnificent music video for At night I lie by the late Alain Bashung). Composed by singer Camille and arranger Clément Ducol, the songs are performed by several actors, but in particular Zoe Saldaña (especially associated with blockbusters like Avatar et Avengers) and Selena Gomez, popular singer also convincing in Spring Breakers of Harmony Korine as in the comedy series Only Murders in the Building.

We know the vocal talent of Selena Gomez. Zoe Saldaña is also surprisingly good. She sings and leads the dance with aplomb in several choreographies, notably in an irresistible number on political corruption at a charity banquet.

Nothing is too smooth in Emilia Perezunlike the majority of Hollywood musicals. The actors’ singing is filmed by Audiard in such a way as to give the illusion that their voices have not been superimposed. The songs and choreographies do not take up too much space, certainly never to the detriment of the plot, so much so that we tend to forget, especially in the second part, that it is a musical film. Across all genres, this is one of the most accomplished cinematographic works of the year.

In theaters, on Netflix November 13