I'm beginning a new precedent around awards season. Any notable titles I missed last year that won significant awards such as Best Picture, I'm catching up on them to see if they deserve their hype. My first target is the Golden Globe winner for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy: "Emilia Perez". In a category where both "Wicked" and "Anora" were nominated, I feel this film's win over both films is purely based on its political and social undertones rather than the quality of the picture itself, even when I'm trying to root for this to work.
"Emilia Perez" has potential under its hood. A lawyer (Zoe Saldana) is summoned by a cartel boss to help him assist in retiring from the drug business and set up his new life and transition into a woman. As time passes after her transition, our titular character (Karla Sofia Gascon) misses her children and finds a way to get them and her wife (Selena Gomez) back under the same roof. Further into the story, Emilia has a romance with another woman (Adriana Paz) with shared life experiences. Yeah, this is all going to turn out well, isn't it?
As someone who has a few lifelong friends within the LGBTQ community, I can tell how much unfair hostility they're experiencing as of late, on account of current events and toxic social media culture. After watching "Emilia Perez" on Netflix, I can confidently say this won't be doing said community any favors. Between the unstable decision making of our protagonist in leaving her past life behind and the grim outlook that is unearthed in the narrative, I'd argue that "National Anthem" is a far superior and optimistic film for this community to watch.
That film utilized its potential in a way that expanded the possibilities for the LGBTQ community in the future. "Emilia Perez" is what you might call a literal mish-mash. Yes, each person should strive to be the best possible version of themselves, even if it comes at the cost of everything. And yet I feel like most LGBTQ folks would think twice about their profession before going to the extreme measures Emilia resorts to in this narrative. Gascon plays the role with the utmost commitment. Same goes for Saldana with her role.
I actually liked the first encounter Emilia had with Paz, the woman she romances. Paz learns bad news about her husband, but ends up being relieved about it since she wanted him dead anyways. It was a nice scene with the two commiserating and bonding. I was surprised with the direction it went with their relationship, but I was fine with it nonetheless. The ingredients for an interesting story are here in parts, but it's inconsistent in its execution. Mainly this is because the biggest problem that sets "Emilia Perez" back is the musical numbers.
With the exception of maybe one song outlining the contradicting nature of Emilia and the duality of her many characteristics, all the musical numbers feel out of place and jarring. When you see Saldana singing with various doctors about vaginoplasty and other surgeries trans women need, it admittedly gets awkward when you recall that a drug dealer is getting surgery. Not to mention all the secrecy involved in making this happen. Try making sense of all that, why don't ya? Trans folks might see the argument I'm making with this statement.
As was the case with many films in 2024, "Emilia Perez" has a highly underwhelming climax. Adding to the list of overused trends Hollywood needs to take a break from, let's discuss climactic gunfights in the dark. Should you watch this during the day time as I did, good luck figuring out what happens in the dark. For it's very likely you'll hardly be able to see anything, let alone comprehend it. I've noticed this more lately, especially with Netflix films, with minimal lighting in violent sections. It's as if you shouldn't have these scenes at all.
If we can't see it, why do we need it? Good rule of thumb for future filmmakers to note. I didn’t mind that the film switches back and forth between Spanish and English language, since we're given subtitle access. It's easier to follow "Emilia Perez" when you have well edited subtitles at the right time. So I give this film credit for that. For every aspect the film gets right though, there's a weak spot around the corner to combat it. The film is tonally all over the map. You could do worse, but right now, the LGBTQ community deserves better than this.
Final Verdict: 6/10
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