“Emilia Pérez” received a nine-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, and is now predicted to be an Oscar contender. For that reason, the Spanish musical has sparked interest and steadily built up anticipation, and now it’s finally streaming on Netflix.
A Multifaceted Story
The movie follows Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldaña) as a lawyer unsatisfied with who she’s working for when she’s kidnapped and taken to an undisclosed location by a Mexican cartel. She is confronted by the kingpin, Juan “Manitas” Del Monte, who expresses a desire to leave everything behind, transition into their true self Emilia Pérez, and disappear to live their true life.
Upon finding a plastic surgeon, Del Monte orders Mora Castro to move their family to safety in Switzerland before faking their death and disappearing.
Four years later, Mora Castro runs into Pérez who requests to have her move her children and former wife back to Mexico with her, for she “can’t live without them.” Although Mora Castro thinks it’s a bad idea, she agrees and stays to help get them set up. One day, when Pérez and Mora Castro are out to eat, they see a missing person’s sign that reminds Pérez of her dark past. Desiring to make up for her past actions, she starts a non-profit organization with Mora Castro that helps families find loved ones that they’ve lost due to cartel violence. Working so closely with her past, will she still be able to leave everything behind? Or will it catch up to her? This movie portrays a depth into the human soul, showing the battle of a person’s actions v. their soul in defining their identity.
The Details
Every piece of this movie was meticulously thought out, but lighting was an element that was consistently used to point out details. The lighting of the scene is used to reflect the events going on around them. In the beginning of the movie, the scenes are surrounded by darkness, reflecting the dark situation of working with the cartel. After Pérez’s transition, the scenes are played out in the light, reflecting the event of Pérez coming into her true self and getting to live out her life — to then be surrounded by darkness once her past starts to catch up with her.
Spotlights were also used in conjunction with close-up shots to point out details and frame the scenes. In the beginning, when Mora Castro is meeting with Del Monte, there are a lot of close-up shots framing the face, with spotlights highlighting just the eyes of the lips to portray the intensity of the situation. Then, right before the transition, the camera zooms in on Mora Castro’s face, with the spotlight splitting half of her face in the light and half of her face in complete darkness as Del Monte says, “I have always been two,” reflecting the battle of the human soul.
Translating Intention
Despite being in Spanish, the acting transcends language barriers, ensuring that nothing gets lost in translation. All of the actors deliver incredible talented performances, using every micro-expression and infliction of their voice to translate their intentions.
The choreography to the more elaborate musical numbers also translates intention, using sharp and enunciated movements to punctuate the lyrics. The focus on hand movements also incorporates a level of sign language into the film.
Each actor was incredible, and Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Karla Sofía Gascón delivered performances that will have you captivated from beginning to end.
