Emilia Perez is a new musical comedy movie featuring stars like Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez. Emilia Perez tells the story of a lawyer in Mexico who receives a surprising offer to help a cartel boss retire from crime, while trying to realize the boss’s dream of becoming the woman he always wanted to be.
Emilia Perez adapted the novel Écoute by Boris Razon published in 2018 into a movie. The movie is a musical with comedy and thriller genres by Jacques Audiard, a famous French director.
Emilia Perez very convincingly received the most nominations at the 2025 Oscars, namely 13 nominations, making this film a strong candidate for the 2025 Oscar.
1. Emilia Perez Synopsis
Emilia Perez’s story is set in a violent Mexico City. The story begins when Rita, a corporate lawyer stuck in her work routine, gets involved in a high-stakes deal.
Unexpectedly, he teamed up with Juan “Manitas” Del Monte, a ruthless cartel boss. Manitas wanted to retire from a life of crime and change his identity to a woman named Emilia.
To achieve his goal, Manitas told Rita to fake her death and undergo a sex reassignment surgery. Manitas’ transformation into Emilia was not only a way to escape his life of crime, but also the realization of a long-held dream.
After going through various procedures, Emilia is trying to let go of her past. On the other hand, she also has plans to reunite with her wife, Jessi, and her children. However, to realize this dream, Emilia is forced to return to the criminal world that she had previously left behind.
When Emilia returned after a few years, she asked Rita once again to help her bring her family to Mexico.
2. Cast List and Showtimes
Selena Gomez plays the character of Jessi in this movie. Meanwhile, the lead role of Manitas Del Monte/Emilia Perez was taken over by Karla Sofia Gascón, a transgender telenovela star.
Apart from them, there are a number of other famous actors taking part, such as Zoe Saldana who plays lawyer Rita Moro Castro, as well as Adriana Paz, Edgar Ramírez, Mark Ivanir, Eduardo Aladro, and many more.
Emilia Perez made her debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and is competing for the Palme d’Or award. When it screened at the festival, the movie received an overwhelming 11-minute standing ovation.
After that, Emilia Perez continued her journey to various international film festivals, including Toronto International Film Festival 2024, Telluride Film Festival 2024, Busan International Film Festival 2024, and MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024. The film has been in theaters since November 1, 2024.
After airing in theaters, Emilia Perez will reportedly air on Netflix.
