Thankfully, as society has socially advanced, film has grown to become an extremely inclusive and welcoming art form to individuals from all backgrounds and beliefs. Because of this, individuals who might not otherwise have a platform now have the ability to share their stores with the masses. While this might have been the intention with the making of “Emilia Pérez,” it is sadly not what was displayed on the screen. From its now infamous gender-affirming surgery musical number to the surface-level representation of what it means to be a transgender individual, “Emilia Pérez” hits all of the wrong notes in every way possible to the point where it makes you wonder who this film is even for in the first place.
Even on paper, the film itself proves to be an enigma as to who its audience truly is with its summary being a musical thriller about the gender transition of a prominent mob boss-turned philanthropist. Because of how uber-specific this plotline is, the film could have gone in two directions: a campy musical akin to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” or a profound social commentary on trans visibility in countries where the topic is heavily contested. Instead, we receive a product that attempts to land somewhere in the middle of the two and instead falls face-first in the process of doing so.
In regards to the musical aspects, all of the numbers come in at what seems like OK parts to do so, but the conversational style and odd topics (ex., gender-affirming surgery, corruption within the Mexican government) pretty much diminish any intended impact. The topics at hand are hard-hitting and important, but the music takes away from the emotional impact of the presented message. Instead, it feels like we are watching these scenes unfold as something not so serious occurs as the music plays in the background. The overwhelmingly bad quality of the numbers and the little contribution of the music itself outweigh the solid performances from some of its cast (Zoe Saldana specifically) and undermine its message as a whole.
Beyond the musical numbers, the film fails to establish strong enough character arcs to compel the viewer to care for them whenever something exciting actually does happen. We know that the titular character is a former mob boss who successfully transitions into the person that she had always wanted to become, but nothing more. Even after the transition, the majority of her conversations regarding her transition are nods to how different and pretty she looks instead of what kind of person she is inside. This surface-level exploration of the character and her relationships ultimately does not compel the viewer to want to know more about her; instead, we are bored by how limited she is. The most dynamic and interesting character by far is that of Saldana’s Rita, as we learn about her life and how she becomes intertwined in the lives of the other major characters. She is one of the film's only bright spots; you eagerly await her return on screen while many subplots provide little to no substance or major relief. However, the dependency on one actress to carry the film with their talent proves that this film does not succeed in much of what it is trying to achieve.
As seen from an abundance of posts made on pretty much all major social media platforms, the LGBTQ+ community hates the film, the Mexican community hates the film and musical lovers hate the film as well. It truly makes you wonder whether or not this film was made for “Oscar bait” and got lucky. With a staggering 13 Academy Award nominations at the upcoming ceremony, it would be a travesty if this film were to take away any awards that belong to much more deserving films. A movie set in Mexico and starring a transgender woman being directed by a white male in France who did not bother to conduct extensive research into the topics shown leads to “Emilia Pérez” ultimately not contributing to the communities that it represents and instead paints its figures into something more flat than nuanced.
