His has a longstanding tradition with the Cannes Film Festival this former Palme d’Or winner for Dheepan (2015) moved into a completely different language, backdrop setting and new genre with the musical for a project that was born during the pandemic. Jacques Audiard has been a visitor with Regarde Les Hommes Tomber in the Critics’ Week, 1996’s Un héros très discret (Best Screenplay winner), 2009’s A Prophet (Grand Prix winner), 2012’s Rust & Bone and 2021’s Paris, 13th District. Starring Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, Édgar Ramírez, Adriana Paz and Karla Sofía Gascón as the titular Emilia Pérez.
Gist: Overqualified and undervalued, Rita (Saldana) is a lawyer at a large firm that is more interested in getting criminals off the hook than bringing them to justice. One day, she is given an unexpected way out, when cartel leader Manitas (Gascon) hires her to help him withdraw from his business and realize a plan he has been secretly preparing for years: to become the woman he has always dreamt of being.
Current temperature: The first true buzz film of the competition, this film becomes a legit contender for the Palme d’Or swooning several critics (but not all) for an average of 3.3 from 18 of our 20 critics.
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