EntertainmentMoviesDrama MoviesZoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez’s new Netflix movie is an empowering story of women taking control of their own livesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesDrama MoviesZoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez’s new Netflix movie is an empowering story of women taking control of their own livesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Netflix)
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.
Big Screen SpotlightShining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Big Screen Spotlight
Shining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Shining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
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”.
Taking risks
(Image credit: Pathe)
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.
Big Screen Spotlight(Image credit: Universal Pictures)Sean Baker and Mikey Madison on the Scream star’s new movie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
Big Screen Spotlight
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)Sean Baker and Mikey Madison on the Scream star’s new movie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
Sean Baker and Mikey Madison on the Scream star’s new movie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
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Continuing, Audiard details the changes he made to Rita upon casting Saldaña: “The character in the original script was going to be 25 but, when I met Zoe, I thought, ‘She can’t be 25, she has to be in her 40s.’ One important characteristic that I hadn’t thought of for Rita is that Zoe is mixed race, so that became the character, which adds another dimension to her journey but isn’t something I thought of initially.”
Setting free
(Image credit: Netflix)
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 beforeJacques Audiard
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.
(Image credit: Netflix)
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.
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Amid Oscar buzz, Zoe Saldana opens up on her new perspective on Hollywood and why she’s only really proud of Avatar and Emilia Pérez: “I think I just have to accept who I am as a creative person”
Amid Oscar buzz, Zoe Saldana opens up on her new perspective on Hollywood and why she’s only really proud of Avatar and Emilia Pérez: “I think I just have to accept who I am as a creative person”
Memento star Guy Pearce says a Warner Bros. exec blocked him from more Christopher Nolan movies, including Batman Begins: “I think he just didn’t believe in me as an actor”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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3
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4
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5
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