Emilia Perez

[Steve williams]

I have to admit that everything I read and saw about this movie made me feel there's no friggin way I want to watch it. Having said that this movie has been nominated for more Oscars and so far has dominated all other film awards so far this year Up to now my favorite movie has been A Complete Unknown with Wicked a very close second. My favorite for Best Actress has been Cynthia Erivo who I thought absolutely nailed the role of the Wicked Witch and I was kind of put off that the showe in favorite for best Actress is Karla Sofía Gascón, a transsexual who is the first male to be nominated for best Actress. AsI type this I find it mind boggling.

Well today was a very cold and rainy day in Sotuhern California and after watching Conclave yesterday which was another jaw dropping film which took me back to The Crying Game (but I diverse), my wife and I decided to make up our minds about Emilia Perez. Needless to say I wasnt happy as I worried I would never get back the little over 2 hours of run time of this movie.Plus 95% of the film was in Spanish with subtitles so I knew I was going to have to pay attention and watch the screen

Well Im here to say that this film is everything it has been made out to be. It was absolutely thought provoking and a wonderful story. There is no place here to be off put as you are drawn into this film from the very start.

Zoe Saldaña was beyond incredible in her role and I cant see anyone beating her as best Supporting Actress. She plays Rita whose life desire was to marry and have kids but she was always second fiddle in her law firm until she is hired by the leader of the cartel

Emilia Pérez follows three remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. Cartel leader Emilia enlists unappreciated lawyer Rita to help fake her death so that she can finally live authentically as her true self.

The music and choreography intersperses within this film was so good and so creative that I marveled at the direction of this film

The story is very simple yet bizarre, Zoe Saldana plays a lawyer hired by the leader of a drug cartel in Mexico for one reason as he looked her in the face and said "I want to be a woman".....and the story was launched. This leader of the cartel is a muscular grotesque individual with a huge grill on his teeth and a grubby beard, who is mean to the bone and doesnt think twice about killing anyone. Watching the change was absolutely transformational as he wakes up and becomes Emila Perez. Rita, has been charged with taking his wife Jessica (played by Selena Gomez)and his 2 young kids to Switzerland under new assumed identities so that Emilia can live her life as she always wanted......until Emilia 4 years later finds Rita in a bar where Rita has node who she is until they begin talking. It was a jaw dropper when Emilia once again hires Rita to bring his wife Jessi and his 2 kids back to Mexico City to live with Aunt Emilia.

The love Emilia has for her children can be felt with such superb acting and the following story with Emilia and Jessi is just too good to reveal here

This movie is a must see and I am shocked that Im saying this as 4 hours ago I felt it was going to be a yawner.

I just cant see anything beating this film as it is so thought provoking ....I have to admit that we are looking forward to seeing The Brutalist but as of today Emilia Perez is going to nome many oscars including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director among others as well

Streaming on Netflix

There are people who absolutely hated it. I say, keep an open mind and sit back and be entertained to something so uniquely different

 

[still-one]

Damn Steve. I had absolutely no interest in seeing this until I read your write-up. My wife's in Florida so I might give it a go on this snowy day.

 

[Steve williams]

Damn Steve. I had absolutely no interest in seeing this until I read your write-up. My wife's in Florida so I might give it a go on this snowy day.

like you I had zero interest and was filled with bias. I had read the theme of the movie and felt what a crock of BS, I watched the trailer and still felt the same but it was streaming on Netflix free my wife and I were sitting home on a rainy afternoon. We have been watching all of the available nominated films and I reluctantly agreed. The film is so uniquely different and so bizarre yet has been winning every major award prior to the Oscars we watched. I expected to say to my wife at the end, "I'll never get those 2 hours of my life back againI was dead wrong. I was hooked from the start and was committed when I heard those 6 much talked about words in th e film , "I want to be a woman".

Yesterday we watched (also on Netflix), The Making of Emila Perez which is absolutely revelational. ....A French director (also wrote the screen play) done in Mexico , French translators on scene every day to interpret the wishes of the director and the explanation of how and why they did many things such as the dancing, music and songs. It is worth the half hour to watch it as well

Finally there is now some acrimony between the director and Karla Sofía Gascón and from what I have read it deals with Karla's life before she transformed into a woman. Apparently she 9he) sexually abused a woman who later committed suicide and her handling of this now has become tense between the director and Karla. He said he wont sit next to her at the Academy Awards "if she shows up"....If you do a search you'll find the info

Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard and actress Karla Sofía Gascón had a close working relationship. However, Audiard has said that he has avoided contacting Gascón because she needs space to reflect on her actions. He has also said that he finds it hard to think about the work they did together.

Gascón has apologized for her tweets and said that she hopes her silence will allow the film to be appreciated. Netflix has also distanced the film's awards campaign from Gascón.


The controversy surrounding Gascón's tweets could affect the film's chances of winning awards, especially for best international film and best supporting actress.

Karla Sofía Gascón Scandal Is Not the Only ‘Emilia Pérez’ Controversy

The actress’s old social media posts have threatened to derail the film’s Oscar campaign, but backlash has been building for months for other reasons.

www.nytimes.com

 

[still-one]

Based on Steve’s review I decided to give Emilia Perez a go earlier today. I won’t repeat his synopsis of the film as it is spot on. I will say that is was nothing like I expected. the performances by Saldana and Gomez were top notch without overacting which is all to common with artsy type films.

This film could have gone oh so wrong. For the most part the singing and dancing added to the film by keeping the storyline moving. The relationships that developed between Rita and Emilia, between Emila and Epifina, Rita and Jessi tome were the real story here

The only weak points might have been Emilia/Manitas transformation from violent Kingpin to human rights activist, not his physical transformation. The other was the ending. No spoilers here so after more individuals have the opportunity to see this film, we can discuss it further.

 

[Steve williams]

Based on Steve’s review I decided to give Emilia Perez a go earlier today. I won’t repeat his synopsis of the film as it is spot on. I will say that is was nothing like I expected. the performances by Saldana and Gomez were top notch without overacting which is all to common with artsy type films.

This film could have gone oh so wrong. For the most part the singing and dancing added to the film by keeping the storyline moving. The relationships that developed between Rita and Emilia, between Emila and Epifina, Rita and Jessi tome were the real story here

The only weak points might have been Emilia/Manitas transformation from violent Kingpin to human rights activist, not his physical transformation. The other was the ending. No spoilers here so after more individuals have the opportunity to see this film, we can discuss it further.

It couldn’t have ended any other way IMO. The only other thought I had was when Epifina showed up to find her husband. I won’t give anything away here.

 

[ssfas]

I have to admit that everything I read and saw about this movie made me feel there's no friggin way I want to watch it. Having said that this movie has been nominated for more Oscars and so far has dominated all other film awards so far this year Up to now my favorite movie has been A Complete Unknown with Wicked a very close second. My favorite for Best Actress has been Cynthia Erivo who I thought absolutely nailed the role of the Wicked Witch and I was kind of put off that the showe in favorite for best Actress is Karla Sofía Gascón, a transsexual who is the first male to be nominated for best Actress. AsI type this I find it mind boggling.

Well today was a very cold and rainy day in Sotuhern California and after watching Conclave yesterday which was another jaw dropping film which took me back to The Crying Game (but I diverse), my wife and I decided to make up our minds about Emilia Perez. Needless to say I wasnt happy as I worried I would never get back the little over 2 hours of run time of this movie.Plus 95% of the film was in Spanish with subtitles so I knew I was going to have to pay attention and watch the screen

Well Im here to say that this film is everything it has been made out to be. It was absolutely thought provoking and a wonderful story. There is no place here to be off put as you are drawn into this film from the very start.

Zoe Saldaña was beyond incredible in her role and I cant see anyone beating her as best Supporting Actress. She plays Rita whose life desire was to marry and have kids but she was always second fiddle in her law firm until she is hired by the leader of the cartel

Emilia Pérez follows three remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. Cartel leader Emilia enlists unappreciated lawyer Rita to help fake her death so that she can finally live authentically as her true self.

The music and choreography intersperses within this film was so good and so creative that I marveled at the direction of this film

The story is very simple yet bizarre, Zoe Saldana plays a lawyer hired by the leader of a drug cartel in Mexico for one reason as he looked her in the face and said "I want to be a woman".....and the story was launched. This leader of the cartel is a muscular grotesque individual with a huge grill on his teeth and a grubby beard, who is mean to the bone and doesnt think twice about killing anyone. Watching the change was absolutely transformational as he wakes up and becomes Emila Perez. Rita, has been charged with taking his wife Jessica (played by Selena Gomez)and his 2 young kids to Switzerland under new assumed identities so that Emilia can live her life as she always wanted......until Emilia 4 years later finds Rita in a bar where Rita has node who she is until they begin talking. It was a jaw dropper when Emilia once again hires Rita to bring his wife Jessi and his 2 kids back to Mexico City to live with Aunt Emilia.

The love Emilia has for her children can be felt with such superb acting and the following story with Emilia and Jessi is just too good to reveal here

This movie is a must see and I am shocked that Im saying this as 4 hours ago I felt it was going to be a yawner.

I just cant see anything beating this film as it is so thought provoking ....I have to admit that we are looking forward to seeing The Brutalist but as of today Emilia Perez is going to nome many oscars including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director among others as well

Streaming on Netflix

There are people who absolutely hated it. I say, keep an open mind and sit back and be entertained to something so uniquely different

Not heard of this film. Will have to see it.

We saw Conclave when it came out. Very enjoyable. I'd completely forgotten I'd read the book (read most Robert Harris, most people do). Will watch Ralph Fiennes in anything. Saw him a couple of years ago in a very unpromising play called "Straight Line Crazy" about a guy called Moses who built the New York Expressways. It was incredible.

 

[Steve williams]

Not heard of this film. Will have to see it.

We saw Conclave when it came out. Very enjoyable. I'd completely forgotten I'd read the book (read most Robert Harris, most people do). Will watch Ralph Fiennes in anything. Saw him a couple of years ago in a very unpromising play called "Straight Line Crazy" about a guy called Moses who built the New York Expressways. It was incredible.

We enjoyed Conclave as well. The ending reminded me of The Crying Game from many years ago

 

[still-one]

We enjoyed Conclave as well. The ending reminded me of The Crying Game from many years ago

I thought Conclave was good ‘till the last 10 minutes. The ending was just plain dumb.

 

[alexatpos]

I guess we should all agree that difference in taste should not be discussed and generally I prefer not to participate in such 'conversations' (except with friends) even when the subject is trivial, as I would hate to hurt feelings of other people, in case they take such talk too much to their heart Regarding movie in question, I did not like it, thought that its author took 'fashionable' social topic and made a rather shallow movie, adding some 'spice' (making the 'musical' of it) just to divert viewers attention from its many shortcomings. Also, imho, its form (so called 'musical') is not well done either. There are some directors who are good in making such style 'fusions' but Audiard is not one of them. My biggest objections are towards story, that I find quite blunt, aldo the initial idea had promises, but its development was very predictive and cartoonish by its end. Performances of the actors were in align with the movie itself, non inspiring to say at least. Why this movie is a 'success' is beyond me, or perhaps not, if its to judge the movie industry as a whole on basis of its majority of production.

 

[Steve williams]

I cant disagree with your opinions. As said, I was shocked that my wife and I both enjoyed it. My opinion prior to seeing it was exactly yours . I are curious how the Academy Awards go as there are issues now between the director and Karla Sofia Gason which might derail Oscar hopes. It has garnered 13 Oscar nominations.

 

[alexatpos]

Well, if I may joke, than you certainly had spend your time in cinema better than I did. There is another post about 'Perfect Days' movie, which is 'completely different' than E.Perez film. If you find the time to see it, I would be curious to know how did you like it

 

[ssfas]

I guess we should all agree that difference in taste should not be discussed and generally I prefer not to participate in such 'conversations' (except with friends) even when the subject is trivial, as I would hate to hurt feelings of other people, in case they take such talk too much to their heart Regarding movie in question, I did not like it, thought that its author took 'fashionable' social topic and made a rather shallow movie, adding some 'spice' (making the 'musical' of it) just to divert viewers attention from its many shortcomings. Also, imho, its form (so called 'musical') is not well done either. There are some directors who are good in making such style 'fusions' but Audiard is not one of them. My biggest objections are towards story, that I find quite blunt, aldo the initial idea had promises, but its development was very predictive and cartoonish by its end. Performances of the actors were in align with the movie itself, non inspiring to say at least. Why this movie is a 'success' is beyond me, or perhaps not, if its to judge the movie industry as a whole on basis of its majority of production.

Cinema, and a lot of other performing arts, are exercises in drawing the audience into the creator's imaginary or alternative creative world, detaching you from your own prejudices and real life experience. So the subject matter should not really matter that much, even if it is something you might normally find unpleasant. On a very simplistic level, you don't have to like Bob Dylan to enjoy "A Complete Unknown" as a movie. It succeeds because it portrays an individual in a very intense personal way rather than trying just to feed the viewer's expectations.

 

[alexatpos]

Cinema, and a lot of other performing arts, are exercises in drawing the audience into the creator's imaginary or alternative creative world, detaching you from your own prejudices and real life experience. So the subject matter should not really matter that much, even if it is something you might normally find unpleasant. On a very simplistic level, you don't have to like Bob Dylan to enjoy "A Complete Unknown" as a movie. It succeeds because it portrays an individual in a very intense personal way rather than trying just to feed the viewer's expectations.

To paraphrase certain great German philosopher, 'one is reluctant to enter the waters of knowledge, not when the waters are dirty, but when they are shallow'...

 

[Steve williams]

Cinema, and a lot of other performing arts, are exercises in drawing the audience into the creator's imaginary or alternative creative world, detaching you from your own prejudices and real life experience. So the subject matter should not really matter that much, even if it is something you might normally find unpleasant. On a very simplistic level, you don't have to like Bob Dylan to enjoy "A Complete Unknown" as a movie. It succeeds because it portrays an individual in a very intense personal way rather than trying just to feed the viewer's expectations.

Great post. Totally agree. I go to be entertained and to. be drawn in for 2 hours regardless of the theme . We are all different and I understand one’s feelings about Emilia Perez. I felt exactly the same going in but I was immediately drawn in and I loved the dancing and singing. Surely you most have at the very least liked Zoe Saldana in the film

 

[jazdoc]

Not heard of this film. Will have to see it.

We saw Conclave when it came out. Very enjoyable. I'd completely forgotten I'd read the book (read most Robert Harris, most people do). Will watch Ralph Fiennes in anything. Saw him a couple of years ago in a very unpromising play called "Straight Line Crazy" about a guy called Moses who built the New York Expressways. It was incredible.

You might enjoy the book "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro about Robert Moses...one of the best biographies of the 20th century.