Emilia Pérez is a highly-anticipated gangster musical starring trans actor Karla Sofía Gascón as the titular character and multitalented star Selena Gomez as her lover. The first official trailer just dropped, with the film expected to hit cinemas and Netflix later this year.
Gascón plays a Mexican drug lord who convinces a disgruntled Mexico City lawyer, Rita (Zoe Saldaña), to help her flee Mexico with her wife Jessi (Gomez) and children to seek gender-affirming surgery. Written and directed by Jacques Audiard, the Spanish-language crime musical is divided into four acts as Pérez strives to be her authentic self.
Gascón described the film as: “a mystery that will soon be unveiled, and I promise you it will not leave anyone indifferent.”
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The film’s official plot synopsis says: “Emilia Pérez follows the story of Rita (Saldaña), an overqualified and undervalued lawyer at a large firm that is more interested in getting criminals off the hook than bringing them to justice.
“One day, she is given an unexpected way out, when cartel leader Manitas (Gascón) hires her to help him withdraw from his business and realise a plan he has been secretly preparing for years: to become the woman he has always dreamt of being.”
Emilia Pérez first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year where it reportedly earned a nine-minute standing ovation. The ensemble cast of Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Adriana Paz additionally received the coveted Best Actress award at the festival, and the film earned the Jury Prize.
The musical has earned praise among LGBTQ+ reviewers for exploring themes of parenthood, love, and the character’s personal growth. It has also been commended for how well it emphasises how her transition journey is only one part of the larger story.
In the newly released trailer, Emilia is first called Juan ‘Manitas’ Del Monte, but tells her lawyer: “Manitas is dead. I am Emilia Pérez.” The trailer includes segments of gorgeous musical performances featuring Selena Gomez alongside the rest of the cast.
While this first trailer is only available in Spanish with French subtitles, the emotion and beauty of the performances are universal.
Emilia Pérez will begin screening in French cinemas on August 21, and it will be released on Netflix later this year with a date expected to be announced soon.
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