Emilia Pérez | Film Review

Lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldana) is offered a strange job when she is asked to facilitate the transition of a cartel boss, so he can finally live as a woman.

I had no idea what this movie was about until I decided to put it on, so I went in blind with no expectations.

I ended up liking it.

The style is really unique. And at first, especially when the singing starts, it feels a bit weird and jarring. But once you get through the first couple of songs, you understand the angle the film is going for.

I thought the songs themselves were great. It's not the kind of soundtrack you'd really listen to outside of the film, but the way the music is used in certain scenes shows how powerful music can be. It seemed to give so many aspects of the film a new meaning.

And in addition to this, for the most part the songs are really well written, and do a good job of both showing (not telling) us more about the characters, and moving the story forward.

The story itself is really original, and so interesting. Even if we stripped everything else (the music, the unique style) away and the film was just about this story, it would still be a really compelling watch.

The film is shot really creatively. Some scenes, such as the three-way call, are done so well.

The acting is amazing - everyone involved did such a great job with their characters.

I found myself becoming really invested in the lives of these characters, and this only increased as the film went on, especially near the end when things begin to spiral out of control.

But having said that, while I was invested in the characters, the story itself wasn't as engaging the whole way through as it could have been. There were moments that felt elongated that could have probably benefitted from being a bit shorter.

Overall this is a really powerful story told in an extremely unique way. I'd recommend it, but it definitely won't be for everyone.

7/10