Emilia Pérez is a film that has sparked controversy for various reasons. Among them: being a production set in Mexico but written and directed by the French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, with actresses who speak Spanish but are not Mexican (Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascón and Americans Zoë Saldaña and Selena Gomez, with particular criticism directed at the latter), and most importantly, superficially addressing issues such as the trans experience and the crisis of the disappeared in Mexico, both central to its plot. The film tells the story of a trans drug trafficker, initially known as "El Manitas" (Gascón), who kidnaps a lawyer (Saldaña) to help her with a singular purpose: to fake her death and transition to start anew. Years later, now as Emilia Pérez, she returns to Mexico to try to be near her children and ex (Gomez), while also becoming an activist for the disappeared victims of the drug cartel. The film has its positive aspects, such as the cinematography and Saldaña's performance, but it's important to note its shallow approach to the social context, which it instrumentalizes and trivializes to tell a redemption story that, in strictly dramatic terms, is not well developed. It is worth watching and reflecting on it, on European representation models of other countries' realities, and on how it perpetuates a binary exoticism both towards Latin America and the trans community.
Winner of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Jury Grand Prix, 'The Prophet' mixes the French ethnic cauldron, including criticism of how immigrants are treated by government and politics, with a more action and violence-driven approach. A realistic and true view of what happens in Europe, leaving us claustrophobic within the prison where much of the story takes place.
This intense love story about two people in difficult times, finding refuge in each other, received a ten minute standing ovation when it was shown at Cannes. Marion Cotillard delivers another visceral performance as a woman who loses her legs in an accident, heightened by the chemistry with the talented Matthias Schoenaerts. Winner of four Cesar awards.
A faithful and powerful portrait of the life of immigrants in Europe, fleeing from a cruel fate in their home countries and often forced to live a lie in their new home. A complicated life, seen through the passionate vision of Jacques Audiard, who wrote, produced and directed the film. A well-executed and well-acted drama which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
'Paris, 13th District' is essentially a movie about meetings and mismeetings, searching for identity and belonging in a black-and-white Paris that, despite the magic of the lights, loses its colors to show that there is life (and conflicts) beyond the Eiffel Tower. Directed by Jacques Audiard (from 'Rust and Bone' and the highly acclaimed 'Dheepan: The Refuge'), the feature film tells the story of four characters who cross paths in the spaces of this shining city. With loves and desires as a starting point and arrival, 'Paris, 13th District' has its problems, such as the fatigue that arises from the repetition of stories and signs, as well as the obvious photography - although it makes sense in the proposal. But it's okay, since the story turns around and impresses with so much humanity.
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