Emilia Pérez is the most overrated film of the year

The ongoing accolades showered on Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez rank among the year’s most baffling developments. It’s a movie that, on the surface, feels epic: a musical drama about the intertwined destinies of three women in Mexico. It’s a film about class, gender and power; one that reaches for the stars and ends up frequently in the gutters. At best, it’s a magnificent mess; at worst, it’s a nonsensical chore, engulfed by its own absurdity. 

The film opens by following Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an overworked lawyer hired by the leader of a criminal organization to fulfill an unconventional need. Rita is good at her job but she’s also desperate, a lethal combination that allows her to perform what many others could not. Her fate becomes pulled into the lives of two other women: Jessi (Selena Gomez), the criminal leader’s wife, and the mysterious Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón).

For those who spend any time online, it’s not a surprise to learn that the film deals heavily with the subject of gender identity and transness. For those unaware and wanting to go into the movie cold, this might be a good time to stop reading. Rita’s quest revolves around the crime boss’s plan to become a woman; not to hide from his crimes but to live the life he always imagined, even if that means abandoning his old life. Much of the film’s first half follows Rita as she travels the world, learning about the different procedures and searching for doctors willing to step up to the plate.

The film’s handling of gender identity exists quite clearly in the realm of fantasy. It’s not possible to undertake as many surgeries in a single procedure as our cartel leader demands. The treatment of gender identity, particularly that of a trans woman, often feels careless, varying from cruel to kitschy in its broad-strokes approach to femininity. The film plays up a certain element of horror at the idea of transition without much reflection, often playing up Emilia’s body for laughs or shocks. While, textually, the film insists that Emilia’s transition is one rooted in sincere desire, the film often amplifies her more masculine qualities to punctuate her less desirable qualities. It’s a film that tries to have it both ways, while also endorsing a strange gender essentialism that positions femininity as inherently good and delicate, in a way that often feels off-putting.

Among the issues with this approach is that the film takes itself a little too seriously, particularly considering the absurdity of most of the music and musical sequences. While clearly inspired by the tone and melodrama of telenovelas, the film also reaches towards high-art and only ever ends up feeling confused and uneven. There’s too much going on to feel any strong relationship with any of the characters or plot. There’s little to no cohesion within the film’s ideas or themes. 

Audiard remains a showman in his direction. Many of the musical sequences are colourful and vibrant. The editing is quick, though not always gripping. Saldaña gives a strong performance and Karla Sofía Gascón gives a very compelling go at a character that’s poorly developed and poorly handled in terms of direction. To be very honest, it’s unclear to me why this film is being celebrated when it’s closer in tone and execution to something like Southland Tales than high art. And at least with Richard Kelly, there’s a little irony and playfulness that makes it a little more fun. At the end of the day, that’s Emilia Pérez’s greatest sin: it lacks any real pleasure and is little more than a tonally confused social message picture without any real social message. ■

Emilia Pérez is now streaming on Netflix.

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