Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- audacious
- theatrical
- sensual
- arthouse movie night
- musical film night
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized the film as audacious, visually and performatively distinctive, and anchored by Karla Sofía Gascón, while some found its tonal shifts and narrative turns strained or incoherent.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film presents cartel crime, gender transition, family rupture, and moral reckoning through an unusually integrated Spanish-language musical form.
Emilia seeks to leave behind her identity as cartel leader Manitas and live authentically under a new name and gender identity.
Mexican cartel power, disappearances, gendered violence, and corruption are rendered through heightened melodrama rather than conventional realism.
Emilia's pursuit of authentic womanhood is inseparable from the consequences of her former criminal life and abandonment of her family.
Films like Emilia Pérez, and why
Dancer in the Dark
audacious musical form, criminal protagonists, gender identity themes, and heightened emotional drama
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
stylized musical storytelling, queer identity, melodrama, and theatrical visual expression
The Godfather Part III
crime-world transformation narrative, moral reinvention, and operatic intensity
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
surreal musical structure, transgressive identity themes, and darkly comic social critique
Movie Details
- Director
- Jacques Audiard
- Release Date
- 2024-08-21
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (2050)
Cast
- Zoe Saldaña
- Karla Sofía Gascón
- Selena Gomez
- Adriana Paz
- Edgar Ramírez
- Mark Ivanir
- Eduardo Aladro
- Emiliano Hasan
- Gaël Murguia-Fur
- Tirso Pietriga
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Emilia Pérez about?
- A cartel boss recruits a lawyer to stage his death and begin life anew as Emilia, triggering a flamboyant musical reckoning with identity, family, and violence.
- What is Emilia Pérez like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Emilia Pérez as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Emilia Pérez violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Emilia Pérez as moderate.
- What did critics think of Emilia Pérez?
- Critics broadly recognized the film as audacious, visually and performatively distinctive, and anchored by Karla Sofía Gascón, while some found its tonal shifts and narrative turns strained or incoherent.
- Which films are like Emilia Pérez?
- Films with a similar feel include Dancer in the Dark, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Godfather Part III, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- How long is Emilia Pérez?
- Emilia Pérez runs 132 minutes.
- Where can I watch Emilia Pérez?
- In United States, Emilia Pérez streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
