A Change for the Better: “Emilia Pérez”

A friend with a strong interest in movies has chosen not to see Emilia Pérez.  He said he just couldn’t get excited about a film that focused on a Mexican crime lord’s sexual transition from male to female. The fact that it is a musical made it seem, to him, even odder. And I admit I had something of the same feelings. I’m a bit overwhelmed, right now, regarding movies (and other art forms) that focus intensely on gender dysphoria.

 But then Emilia Pérez showed up on Netflix, which meant I could watch it for free. And I was certainly curious (though not yellow) to see why this film set the Cannes Film Festival abuzz, and won a Best Actress prize to be divided among its featured female ensemble. The actresses included Latin American stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez, along with Karla Sofía Gascón, a Spanish performer who transitioned from male to female in 2018. Gascón has been mentioned as a possible Oscar nominee, and I can see why. In the film’s early going, she is featured as a gruff, tremendously fearsome cartel boss who is not in the least feminine. As Juan "Manitas" Del Monte  she summons a talented but underappreciated female attorney (Saldaña) and forcefully explains her desire to leave her current life—whatever the cost—and become a woman. There follow several rather goofy musical segments in which Saldaña travels the world, looking for doctors who are both discreet and adept at sexual reassignment surgeries. For the right price, it’s amazing how many services are available. An add-on procedure to remove the “Adam’s apple”? Sure.

 I enjoyed all of the above, but couldn’t see why French writer- director Jacques Audiard was racking up major honors for this film. But once Manitas becomes Emilia, the film radically changes its tone. Whereas Manitas was imperious and cold, Emilia is warmth personified. In her new and quite attractive body, she’s positively glowing. But she’s no longer just interested in self-satisfaction. Now, with Saldaña’s Rita as her lieutenant, she’s started a major charity to help mistreated women. (Rita’s mixed emotions are striking. When Emilia suckers a large group of drug lords into showing up at a banquet to support her group, Rita acts out her contempt for these potential benefactors in a remarkable fantasy number that shows off her stunning dance moves.) 

 The film’s musical numbers have the virtue of reminding us that this story is built on fantasy. But the fantasy co-exists with some tender moments that are deeply felt, like Emilia’s growing longing to be with the young children she once sired, and her little son’s hunch that his newly arrived “aunt” is somehow closer to his absent father than she might seem. Love is in the air in all its iterations: Emilia forms a romantic bond with a needy young wife who’s glad to be rid of her abusive husband. Meanwhile, Selena Gomez’s Jessi, believing herself the widow of the absent Manitas, falls for the slimy Gustavo and helps hatch a desperate plan that will dominate the film’s last section. Alas, surprises await. 

 What’s this movie saying? That women are better (if not necessarily stronger) than men? That seems much too simplistic a conclusion. And Gomez’s Jessi, for all her moments of self-reproach, is hardly saintly. Let’s just say Emilia Pérez is about the value of being true to your authentic self. Manitas was once hated and feared. But Emilia, at film’s end, is recognized as a hero, even a saint. As a woman, she brings her community together, instead of tearing it apart.