Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez’s new Netflix movie is an empowering story of women taking control of their own lives

Nov. 8, 2024

Big Screen Spotlight | Director Jacques Audiard discusses his new movie Emilia Pérez, which tells the story of four women discovering who they really are

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Every year, a handful of new movies are described as being so groundbreaking, audiences will have never seen anything like them before. More often than not this is simple hyperbole, but in the case of Netflix’s latest release Emilia Pérez, it is surprisingly accurate.

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Given that it encompasses so much, the question is, then: how exactly does Audiard ultimately view it? As the filmmaker explained in an interview with GamesRadar+ at the recent BFI London Film Festival (via interpreter), he sees Emilia Pérez as being “a film about changing one’s life and how many chances you get to change your life”.

And here he isn’t just referencing the character of Emilia Pérez, as the events of the film see the lives of many changed. Whilst of course the main focus is on our lead, who is beautifully played by Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez is actually the story of four very different women, all of whom are trying to discover who they really are.

Taking risks

For Emilia herself, she is adapting to living a completely new life, with a new name, new body, new home, and new desires. On that journey she is aided by Zoe Saldaña’s Rita, a lawyer who feels unappreciated in a crappy job, desperately searching for an opportunity to break free. She unexpectedly finds that when Emilia approaches her for help, as whilst it was a bold risk becoming involved with the dangerous cartel leader, it allows for her voice to finally be heard. Not only does she help Emilia with her transition, but afterwards she takes on a key role at a charity the former cartel leader begins to run.

The role of Rita actually shifted dramatically when Avatar star Saldaña was cast, with Audiard changing the character’s age and more upon meeting the actor, tweaking the role so she could take it on. In fact, the film was even put on hold for a whole year whilst they waited for Saldaña’s schedule to clear – that’s how much Audiard believed in her.

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As he explains: “I would have waited two years for Zoe if I had to! I spent a long time looking for actors so once I met them, and I knew they were right for the parts, they were worth waiting for, so if we had to delay by another year I would have done so.”

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Just like Saldaña’s lawyer, Emilia’s wife Jessi also sees her life turned upside down when she is led to believe her partner, Manitas, has died, with Rita helping fake Emilia’s death so the gender reassignment surgery can be carried out unnoticed by rival cartels. Naturally, Jessi is distraught, believing she has lost her husband, also suddenly being sent to Switzerland for her family’s safety. Jessi was content with her life as a cartel leader’s wife, but although this dramatic change is initially distressing, she soon discovers too that it actually sets her free.

It’s quite a curious thing as soon as you see that person you never question again what that character looks like, you just forget everything that came before

“Unlike Rita and Emilia, I hadn’t done any castings for Jessi yet. Selena was pretty much the first person I met and she was immediately right for it. I didn’t have any pre-conceptions for the role so it was immediately hers to claim. It’s quite a curious thing as soon as you see that person you never question again what that character looks like, you just forget everything that came before.”

As Jessi pursues new romances, believing her partner is dead and having no knowledge of the surgery, Emilia does too, falling in love with Adriana Paz’s Epifanía Flores, who she meets at Emilia’s new non-profit organization. Their initial encounter is fascinating as whilst at first we fear for Emilia’s safety as Epifanía is told that the organization has identified some human remains as being those of her husband, she soon shares her delight, explaining that he was abusive. Now free of the abuse, she opens up to Emilia and we see their relationship blossom, forever changing both of them.

The film ultimately, then, is a story of rebirth for these four women and so it’s quite fitting that at the Cannes Film Festival this year, the quartet jointly walked away with the Best Actress award, which is something that has never happened before. For Audiard, it was a perfect result. Whilst he states he didn’t expect it, he also admits that, perhaps subconsciously, this was something he was maybe aiming for.

As he concludes: “It was completely unexpected as it had never happened. I was hoping that Karla Sofía would be noticed for that role but the fact that all four of them were rewarded, I was incredibly proud. And maybe, subconsciously, that’s what I did it for. The fact they are all so different, come from different backgrounds, there is such a diversity so kudos to the presidency at Cannes.”

Emilia Pérez is out now in theaters worldwide before heading to Netflix on November 13.

For more on what to watch, check out the rest of ourBig Screen Spotlightseries as well as our guide to thebest Netflix movies.

As Entertainment Editor at GamesRadar, I oversee all the online content for Total Film and SFX magazine. Previously I’ve worked for the BBC, Zavvi, UNILAD, Yahoo, Digital Spy and more.

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