Imagine making a movie musical set in Mexico about the transgender experience without being Mexican or trans. This is exactly what Jacques Auidard did with his 2024 film Emilia Perez, and it couldn’t have been more of a trainwreck. I watched 16 releases from 2024 in 12 months, and Emilia Perez ranked 15th, with only Descendants: The Rise of Red landing lower on my list.
Yes, it’s that bad.
Emilia Perez follows Rita (Zoe Saldana), a lawyer tasked with assisting a drug cartel leader Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Karla Sofia Gascon) in faking their death so they can transition into a female. While the ambitious plan works well on both ends, the story takes another turn four years later when Rita encounters a familiar face in London.
The individual once known to Rita as Manitas now goes by Emilia Perez, and she’s happy to live freely as her true self. However, one thing is missing: her beloved children. Four years ago, as part of the plan, her wife, Jessi Del Monte (Selena Gomez), fled Mexico with their two toddlers and hid in Switzerland.
Emilia asks Rita once more for assistance and a new plan hatches. Add in a subplot about a nonprofit dedicated to finding missing people, over 20 fast-paced songs, and the return of Jessi’s former lover, and voila! You get Emilia Perez.
On paper, Emilia Perez appears intriguing. Hollywood doesn’t often create original films by focusing more on franchises and intellectual properties, with recent exceptions including Challengers and The Brutalist. However, one of these things is not like the other, and yes, it’s Emilia Perez for all the wrong reasons.
All good movies stem from solid scripts, and somehow the screenplay is all over the place. There’s way too much content stuffed into a movie clocking in at just over two hours, and making the film longer than it already is would be an attempt to hold viewers hostage. At times confusing and boring at others, Emilia Perez failed to keep me, Jack Hamilton at Slate Magazine, and most Letterboxd users entertained.
It’s also hard to root for the titular character, and making Emilia transgender doesn’t do the film any favors. While LGBTQ+ representation in media has grown exponentially in the past few years, putting out this film felt like a slap in the face to all this progress. Emilia Perez genuinely is a terrible person; she lies multiple times, causes a rift within her own family, and runs a drug cartel for crying out loud. So yeah, making the one transgender character in your movie a total piece of garbage isn’t exactly the best idea, Jacques Auidard.
And speaking of Mr. Auidard, why on Earth would you, an old French man, try to make a film set in Mexico with barely any knowledge of the country’s culture? If you asked me to make a movie about Mexican culture, I’d turn down the offer because the last thing I’d want to do is base it on my limited knowledge obtained via The Book of Life (also starring Zoe Saldana!), Gran Fiesta Tour at EPCOT, and Acapulcos back home in Franklin, Massachusetts.
Also, please don’t even get me started on the songs, especially “La Vaginoplastia.” Yes, that’s a real song from a movie somehow nominated for 13 Academy Awards. Go ahead and watch the YouTube clip. I dare you.
Finally, just when you thought Emilia Perez couldn’t get any worse, the film finds itself entangled in countless controversies. Auidard dubbed Spanish as “a language of developing countries and poor people” and claimed he couldn’t find enough Mexican actors for his film. Gascon sent Film Twitter into a frenzy with her racist rants. It even got to the point where she had to deactivate her account!
Seriously, it’s not that hard to keep your mouth shut.
So please, do yourself a favor and watch I Saw the TV Glow if you’re looking for a 2024 movie from an LGBTQ+ director that’s watchable, or Wicked: Part One if you’re craving a solid musical flick from this past year. Heck, go ahead and check out Johanne Sacreblu, a Mexican short film about a transgender French baguette company owner released this past January in response to a certain Oscar bait film.
Just whatever you do, DO NOT give Emilia Perez any more views on Netflix. Muchas gracias and merci beaucoup!