Returning to Cannes, Jacques Audiard presented Emilia Perez to the world, receiving an enthusiastic response from the audience with a nine-minute standing ovation.
The French auteur's 10th film, the sixth in the main competition, features Zoe Saldaña as a disillusioned lawyer, Selena Gomez as the wife of a drug lord, Édgar Ramírez as a perilous romantic partner, and Karla Sofía Gascón as the leader of a cartel yearning to break free from a criminal life and transform into the woman of his dreams. And unexpectedly, it's a musical.
When the credits rolled, cheers and applause filled the room, with people shouting “Bravo” before the lights even came on. Saldaña and Gascón were crying, and Gomez was visibly emotional, hiding her face.
Regarding Gomez, Rooney expressed that the seasoned star effectively portrays "the tough and delicate sides of a woman who has faced upheaval twice and is in search of her own joy." Followers of the music icon will be excited to discover that Gomez performs multiple songs in the movie, just like Saldaña, who delivers a remarkable solo dance performance at a charity event.
The fashion is involved too
Another noteworthy aspect of the movie is that it is one of three films in the competition that has been produced by Saint Laurent Productions, an emerging film division of the renowned luxury fashion brand. Creative director Anthony Vaccarello oversaw the production of Emilia Perez and was in charge of the film's costumes. The other producers involved in the project are Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux, and Valerie Schermann.
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