Our identities adapt according to the situations we are put in, according to our surroundings and the people we come across—there’s one that we want to present ourselves as in front of the world, and then there’s one that the world perceives us as. But perhaps the most enduring identity we form is a by-product of the blend of nature and nurture, something that is embedded in our very core—and no matter what we do, that identity stays with us. Director Jacques Audiard’s latest release, Emilia Perez, juggles a lot of things, being a unique mix of musical, telenovela, crime drama, and comedy, but its narrative fulcrum is in the exploration of the said core identity, which begs the question of whether it is possible for anyone to truly transform. The fusion of different genres imparts a distinct flavor to the movie, and for the most part, the combination works well. Although the ending could have been handled a bit better, along with the account of trans experience, the idea conveyed by the movie is commendable enough for viewers to devote some of their time pondering about it.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Rita Decide To Help Manitas?
Rita Moro Castro is an overworked, underpaid criminal lawyer working at a law firm in Mexico City who is fed up with having to cover up the heinous deeds of their shady clientele—the dregs of society. Rita is affected by a sense of guilt for being the reason these scoundrels are roaming scot-free, but at the same time she is aware of the fact that at present it’s the only way for her to make a living. One day, Rita is approached by Manitas Del Monte, a dreaded cartel boss who offers her a way out of her miserable life through a lucrative deal in exchange for Rita helping her go through a gender transition procedure. Being a notorious crime lord, it is not possible for Manitas to directly communicate with the surgeon or other medical personnel while maintaining her anonymity at the same time, which is why she needs Rita to assist her. Aside from the financial gain and chance to leave her life behind, Rita is moved by Manitas’ effort to reform herself by getting out of the prison of her body and old life and to connect with her true self.
Rita brings in Dr. Wasserman, an acclaimed surgeon from Tel Aviv, who initially remains skeptical about Manitas’ motive, even suggesting that transformation can’t be merely skin deep—that there is a part of Manitas that will not change with her bodily transformation or even after she connects with her true identity as a woman. The opinion might sound controversial to some extent, but it actually refers to the inherent identity of an individual. However, Rita manages to convince Wasserman by bringing him to visit Manitas, who shares her plight with the surgeon, and eventually Wasserman gives in. Manitas, now under the identity of Emilia Perez, leaves her past behind, fakes her old self’s death, and entrusts Rita with helping her wife, Jessica, and their kids move on and settle abroad. Rita gets a fat paycheck as remuneration, which allows her to step up in life big time.
Emilia Revisits Her Past
The past has a way of catching up to you, which Emilia realizes as she starts missing her family, and four years later, as she manages to track down Rita at a party in London, Emilia requests her to bring Jessica and their children to Mexico. Rita, who was initially taken aback after Emilia’s return to her life, manages to convince Jessica to return to Mexico by introducing Emilia as Manitas’ cousin. While Emilia’s children do not recognize her, she can’t help but feel her parental instincts taking over.
Additionally, Emilia’s former life begins to make its presence felt as she confronts the reality of how the cartel’s presence has ravaged the country, leaving families wrecked in the wake of gang-related violence, which claims numerous lives on a regular basis. The worst part is that the families never get to bid their departed ones adieu, something that sits heavy on Emilia’s newfound conscience. She is determined to move away from her past life and finds a way to somewhat redeem herself as she opens up an NGO that helps the families of the victims of cartel violence learn about their final fate. Emilia uses her connections with Carl to do so and later on organizes fundraisers by bringing together the corrupt, degenerate people in power to contribute for a noble cause. Rita sees the irony of it, but she is still willing to consider it as Emilia’s reformation. Through her NGO, Emilia meets Epifania, a widow who is relieved to learn her abusive husband has lost his life in gang violence, and the duo quickly hit it off. Emilia feels loved and desired for the first time since her transformation, and it seems that she is finally ready to move on with her new life.
Did Emilia Share Her Truth With Jessica?
However, trouble arises when Emilia finds it difficult to digest the simple fact that, like her, others have the right to choose lives of their own as well. Jessica fell out of love with Manitas shortly after the birth of their children and was having an affair with a certain Gustavo, who was the sole reason for Jessica’s return to Mexico City by accepting Emilia’s invitation in the first place. Emilia initially had a bit of difficulty accepting that Jessica had fallen for someone else but eventually made peace with it, and even congratulated Jessica when she announced her upcoming marriage with Gustavo. However, upon learning that Jessica would take their children along with them as well, Emilia became livid with her and, in a fit of rage, raised her hand against Jessica, forbidding her from even thinking of taking ‘her’ children away from Emilia.
Needless to say, Jessica was totally stupefied, wondering why’d Emilia cross her boundaries just like that, as she is unaware of Emilia’s true identity. Emilia went on to rough up Gustavo to threaten him to leave the country, and the next thing she knew, Jessica left her home along with the kids. Emilia had a chance to make peace with the fact that they didn’t need her in their lives, but to teach Jessica a lesson, she cut off Jessica’s funding, which she was receiving from Manitas’ arrangements. This is the person Emilia truly is: an insecure, possessive individual who likes to abuse her power to bend rules according to her ends. However, karma caught to Emilia as she gets kidnapped by Gustavo’s men, as he and Jessica keep Emilia captured and torture her to blackmail Rita into complying with their demand for money. By now, Rita had become genuinely sympathetic and caring towards Emilia, who in turn regarded Rita highly and considered her a supportive sister-like figure. To save Emilia, Rita brings Emilia’s former cartel accomplices to ambush Gustavo’s men, and a gunfight ensues among them. At this point, Emilia considers her time to be numbered and decides to share the truth with Jessica. As Emilia mentions some cherished moments she had shared with Jessica, the latter is taken aback and remains in a conflicted state of mind as Gustavo throws Emilia into the trunk of the car before driving away to safety along with Jessica. Determined to save her husband, Jessica tries to force Gustavo to stop the car by holding him at gunpoint, but the resultant scuffle causes the car to flip and fall into a ditch and explode moments later. Rita arrives too late; by then Emilia, Jessica, and Gustavo have met their fiery end. Rita decides to look after Emilia and Jessica’s children, and as the movie comes to an end, a grieving Epifania mourns Emilia’s loss by leading a procession in the streets, which once again highlights the irony as Emilia is regarded as an admirable, inspiring idol.
The embedded nature of Emilia was her love for her children and the innate tendency to resort to violence—something that she could never get rid of. Irrespective of her desperate attempts to mend her ways and turn a new page in life, she couldn’t deal with the darker side hidden inside her psyche, which ultimately snatched away her second chance at life.
