It may not have won the Palme d’Or, but Jacques Audriard‘s “Emilia Perez” was the talk of the Cannes Film Festival this year. And after its female ensemble shared the festival’s Best Actress award, it’s easily one of this Fall’s most anticipated new releases. But while Audriard’s genre/gender-bending hits theaters next month in his native France, US audiences won’t see “Emilia Perez” until it hits Netflix this November. So: how to tide stateside audiences until then?
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Well, there’s Pathe‘s new trailer for the film (which star Zoe Saldana posted on her Instagram today with English subtitles). Check out both the original French trailer and Saldana’s subtitled update below. “Emilia Perez” stars Saldana as a lawyer who assists a Mexican cartel leader in undergoing sex reassignment surgery to evade authorities and escape her criminal past.
Here’s an official synopsis for “Emilia Perez,” courtesy of Pathe:
Overqualified and overexploited, Rita uses her talents as a lawyer in the service of a large firm more inclined to launder criminals than to serve justice. But an unexpected exit door opens to her, helping the cartel leader Manitas to get out of business and carry out the plan he has been secretly refining for years: finally becoming the woman he always dreamed of being.
Along with Saldana, “Emilia Perez” also stars Selena Gomez, Karla Sofia Gascón, Adriana Paz, Édgar Ramirez, and Mark Ivanir. James Gerard, Shiraz Tzarfati, Agatha Bokja, and Lucas Varoclier also star.
Audriard writes and direct “Emilia Perez,” and produces the film with Pascal Caucheteux, Valérie Schermann, and Anthony Vaccarello. Clément Ducol composes the film’s score, with Damien Jalet providing choreography, and original songs by Camille.
An early favorite for Cannes’ top prize, “Emilia Perez” proved divisive with critics: some loved it, while others thought it was Audriard’s weakest film in a while. The Playlist’s review awarded the film a C+/B-, citing Audriard’s work with cinematographer Paul Guilhaume as the movie’s biggest highlight. Netflix swooped in on the US distribution rights for “Emilia Perez” before Cannes came to a close; a bit of a surprise, but maybe the streamer thought they snagged a Palme d’Or winner. Still, it’s a coup for Netflix, as Audriard’s film probably has the most buzz post-Cannes outside of Sean Baker‘s “Anora,” which did win the festival’s top prize.
As noted earlier, “Emilia Perez” hits Netflix on November 13, with a limited theatrical release likely to precede its premiere. Watch the trailer for the film below.
Check out the trailer for “Emilia Perez” below.