Emilia Perez

San Sebastian Film Festival: Film Number 3. The remarkable and fascinating film experience that the exceptional director Jacques Audiard manages to offer almost every time. This time around he really plays with the form and, of course, does not neglect the story, which has all the depth we have come to expect from him. I would even rate the idea itself positively, because making a musical about a gangster who switches genders could ruin any number of directors from around the world. But not Audiard. Everything here fits perfectly, and though I'm not a big fan of musicals, I was completely absorbed by the music and dance numbers because they exuded either unrestrained and contagious energy or fragile and touching emotion. At the same time, this evening screening posed a powerful linguistic challenge for me – I hadn't noticed it was a version dubbed in Spanish :-) After a few days, the experience of the film having matured in me a bit, I am raising the rating to five stars. Some of the songs are still ringing in my head today and I'm not surprised that all three lead actresses were honored at Cannes, they fully deserve it. (21.09.2024)

I don't read the synopses in advance during the festival because I don’t want to know what the films are supposed to be about. I like the element of surprise. And this was definitely the biggest surprise of the main competition. A trans-cartel musical? Throughout the film I was wondering how on earth they thought to put this together, and in the end I have to say that as unexpected as it was, the final product is really a very unconventional and original combination that I'm careful to say really won't suit everyone. But I liked it, the film has a flow, the songs are melodic, the choreography is impressive. The story is unpredictable, at times very dramatic, at times funny and entertaining, at times touching to the point of pathetic... I think it has everything a musical should have. [Festival de Cannes 2024] (24.05.2024)