Why is ‘Emilia Pérez’ a Musical?
Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón in Emilia Pérez | Credit: Netflix
Rita (Zoe Saldaña), a lawyer in Mexico City, has her life turned upside down when a cartel leader enlists her help.
I want to begin by saying that I am a fan of musicals. I think there’s something really magical about the power of musical theater, and when that is infused into a movie, it can be incredible. Music has the power to enhance what the character is feeling or experiencing, and musicals can make brilliant use of that.
Movie musicals are more difficult to pull off than a musical seen on stage, but it can be done. While watching Emilia Pérez, I kept thinking about The Color Purple, which I think is a great example of a movie musical done right. In that film, each song takes us deeper into what the character is feeling. These characters also use music to help them process the difficulties they are experiencing — music is a form of resistance and survival.
Emilia Pérez isn’t that. Unforunately, the songs don’t enhance what the character is feeling or experiencing. Instead, each musical number is a distraction that took me completely out of the scene. Rather than thinking about the really interesting ideas presented in this film, I was just constantly asking why this was a musical.
While watching, I also was thinking about Rent. The movie is based on a beloved musical, so maybe it’s not the most fair comparison. But in Rent, the constant breaking into song makes sense because of the bohemian nature of all of the characters that we are following. Roger (Adam Pascal) is a musician, as is Angel. Mark (Anthony Rapp) is an aspiring filmmaker, and Maureen (Idina Menzel) is a performance artist. Even those whose professions aren’t outwardly creative still live in a really creative environment. Plus, the music is absolutely fantastic.
Emilia Pérez doesn’t have either of those things. With the exception of one karaoke scene, it doesn’t make sense why these characters are constantly singing. They don’t seem to have any connection to any creative outlet; no character is a musician, and this isn’t some fantastical world or delusion to make the singing make sense. Instead, random songs are shoved randomly into a story, and every musical break feels out of place.
So, I’m once again asking: why is this a musical? I appreciate it when a movie makes a bold and creative swing, but I don’t think this was effective. Plus, all of the music means that there were fewer opportunities for character growth and development, which is my other big issue with the film.
Selena Gomez in Emilia Pérez | Credit: Netflix
The performances from the main trio are rather strong. I think it’s unfortunate that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of growth for any of the characters. Our three main characters all feel underwritten, and I walked away from the film feeling like I didn’t learn much about any of them.
Zoe Saldaña brings a lot to Rita, a lawyer from Mexico City, at the center of the film. I wish that this character had been fleshed out a little more fully because there’s a lot of potential here. Rita is an incredibly talented lawyer who is unappreciated in her day job, so when this opportunity arrives, she jumps at it. But she seems to never be satisfied with what she has. She’s always wanting more, something that’s just out of her reach. But she doesn’t seem to really grow during the time that we spend with her.
Though we have a couple of scenes where Rita expresses her desire to do something else, we don’t ever see her pursue that. She seems to lack the agency to make choices to change her life in a meaningful way. But even that stuck-ness that she seems to be experiencing isn’t explored in this film either. So, I was left feeling like I spent two hours with this person, but I still don’t know what motivates or drives her.
Selena Gomez really impressed me with her performance as Jessi. I’m so used to seeing her play Mabel in Only Murders in the Building, which is a lot of fun but is a very different type of role. Jessi has such a big personality and is unafraid to express all the emotions that she’s feeling. Though she is in a supporting role, and her character feels underwritten, Gomez does her best with what she’s given.
Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) undergoes the biggest physical and emotional transformation. She completely changes her life, using her wealth and influence to start to do some good in the world. I find this to be a really interesting plotline with a ton of potential. A cartel leader who leaves that life behind and tries to atone for their sins is really fascinating — what a cool take on the redemption story! But the film also doesn’t seem interested in exploring that aspect of the story in detail either.
Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez | Credit: Netflix
There’s so much that Emilia Pérez seems to want to explore but doesn’t do so effectively. There’s a ton of potential in this really interesting story that this film fails to capitalize on. This story, full of dramatic ups and downs, becomes almost sensationalized because of all of the musical numbers that end up being a distraction rather than enhancing the nature of the story.
I really liked the idea of this film, I just wish that it had been executed a little better.