By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

Emilia Pérez, the latest film from French director Jacques Audiard, is a mix of many things; it’s a pop musical, Mexican melodrama, love story, and cartel crime thriller. It’s a lot, but Audiard locks us in to his audacious vision, crafting a film that feels like it takes us on a ride over the course of two hours and change.

Rita Moro Castro (Zoe Saldaña) is an attorney in Mexico. At the start of the film, she is dealing with the case of a husband who murdered his wife, being told it will be treated as a suicide. Rita is approached by a cartel leader (Karla Sofía Gascón) in the processing of transitions, who needs help completing her transgender surgery, and keeping it hidden from her wife (Selena Gomez). Add sensitive transgender story to the list of things the film does, including musical, melodrama, love story and thriller.

This is a mix of elements that shouldn’t work together, and one of the most exciting parts about watching Emilia Pérez is the feeling that it could fall apart and go off the rails at any moment. The fact that Audiard pulls it off in a way that feels mostly cohesive as a whole is impressive, crafting a story that still manages to have an emotional impact despite the maximalist approach. Paul Guilhaume’s colourful cinematography offers vibrant images, while Juliette Welfling‘s editing keeps it moving and takes us through the shifts in genre.

The film largely works due to the strong performances from Audiard’s fierce power trio of Gascón, Saldaña and Gomez. Gascón commands this character, which requires a number of challenging and emotionally demanding moments. It’s good to see Saldaña in a more grounded dramatic role, one that also allows her to rap and dance, while it’s exciting to watch Gomez fully strip away her image as Disney starlet, as she tears into the role of jaded wife.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Public Screenings: Monday, September 9th, 6:15 PM at Princess of Wales; Tuesday, September 10th, 11:30 AM at Princess of Wales; Friday, September 13th, 5:45 PM at TIFF Lightbox; Friday, September 13th, 9:00 PM at TIFF Lightbox; Saturday, September 14th, 9:00 AM at TIFF Lightbox; Saturday, September 14th, 9:45 PM at Princess of Wales; Sunday, September 15th, 12:00 PM at TIFF Lightbox