Emilia Perez ★★★½

CRIME musical films are few and far between.

There’s Chicago, I guess. And Bugsy Malone of course. And then…well, that might be it.

One of the reasons probably lies in the vastly mixed reception for Spanish-language film Emilia Perez.

Adapted for the screen and directed by Frenchman Jacques Audiard, this 2024 release has been panned by some critics but is in the running for 13 Academy Awards.

Audiard has previously given us two great films – the tough romance Rust and Bone in 2012 and the 2009 crime drama A Prophet.

Both were a little unconventional in how their stories were told, but Emilia Perez is something else again, fluctuating wildly between spoken word and song.

Initially it was embraced by critics as something daring and unique and particularly for its two lead performances, including from a transsexual actor. But slowly the turned due to mounting criticisms of cultural and gender misrepresentation and stereotypes.

These criticisms aside, Audiard’s film is an audacious attempt to merge musical presentation with an emotional crime drama that is constantly surprising and entertaining.

Set mostly in Mexico, there are two main characters – Cartel boss Juan ‘Manitas’ Del Monte, played by Karla Sofía Gascón, and lawyer Rita Castro, played by Zoe Saldana. Selina Gomez also has a pivotal role as the Cartel boss’s wife.

Del Monte is a feared criminal, ruthless and wildly rich, seemingly a devoted husband and father but hiding a very personal desire. He enlists Castro to secretly prepare the way for him to disappear overseas and transition to a new life as a woman.

To reveal more of the plot would be spoiling one of the best aspects of the film, along with the genuinely captivating performances. While the musical sequences aren’t always successfully presented, they still manage to convey the emotional journeys involved for each character.

Watched at the cinema.