The Story Behind Netflix’s Wild Drug Cartel Musical, Emilia Pérez

Critics are raving about Emilia Pérez, a new musical that has just landed on Netflix after a cinematic release in France. A drug cartel and trans self discovery drama all wrapped up into a musical, it’s being described as one of the wildest films of the year – and Oscar worthy to boot. Here’s what to know before you tune in.

Emilia Pérez: Plot, Cast & Inspiration

Directed by Jaques Audiard, this off-beat musical premiered earlier this year at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, bagging the Jury Prize and Best Actress for its female ensemble (making history with Karla Sofía Gascón the first ever trans star to win in the category). But it was only widely released in French cinemas (and has been selected as the French entry for Best International Feature Film at next year’s Oscars, fyi). Finally streaming on Netflix, here’s what to expect.

Selena Gomez as Jessi in Emilia Pérez. (Netflix)

What Is Emilia Pérez About?

Emilia Pérez is a crime musical centring on Juan ‘Manitas’ Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón), a feared Mexican cartel boss who decides to abandon his criminal life and undergo gender reaffirming surgery and lead a new and authentic life as Emilia Pérez. Manitas enlists the help of Mexican lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldaña) to find a discreet doctor, triggering a transformational journey for both of them.

Exploring identity, redemption and family, Emilia seeks her true identity, but must also grapple with what she has left behind: her estranged loved ones, including wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and their two kids; and a bloodsoaked career in the criminal underworld, which has left countless people without their loved ones.

Amidst all of this, it’s worth noting that Emilia Pérez is a musical, and also at times a comedy – so it’s not all as intense as it sounds. Fusing crime with the extravagance of a musical, critics have described Emilia Pérez as both exaggerated kitsch and deeply emotional, with Gascón’s performance in particular praised for its authenticity and poignancy.

Watch the trailer below.

The Cast

• Zoe Saldaña as Rita Mora Castro
• Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia Pérez/Juan ‘Manitas’ Del Monte
• Selena Gomez as Jessi Del Monte
• Adriana Paz as Epifanía Flores
• Mark Ivanir as Dr. Wasserman
• Édgar Ramírez as Gustavo Brun
• James Gerard as Simon
• Shiraz Tzarfati
• Agathe Bokja as a Thai nurse
• Lucas Varoclier as young Diego
• Marie-Elisabeth Robert
• Anabel Lopez as Berlinger’s secretary
• Eduardo Aladro as Berlinger
• Cyrus Khodaveisi as a Doctor
• Yohan Levy as Soldier Ido
• Daniel Velasco-Acosta as Edgar
• Jonas Paz-Benavides as a journalist
• Line Phé
• Eric Geynes

Playing the titular role was a ‘dream’ for Gascón: ‘It’s a dream role that is hard to find because it has so much depth, so much richness,’ she tells Netflix. ‘And for an actor to get into it, it needs a lot of dedication, and a lot of work because you have two voices that also sing with a Mexican accent. It is so huge.’

Zoe Saldaña as Rita Moro Castro in Emilia Pérez. (Shanna Besson/Netflix)

What Is Emilia Pérez Based On?

Emilia Pérez is loosely based on Boris Razon’s 2018 novel Écoute (‘listen’ in French). Well, based on a character in Razon’s novel: a drug dealer who evades capture by undergoing gender affirming surgery. ‘Halfway through, there is a character who is a drug kingpin who wants to transition to become a woman,’ Audiard explains. ‘The author, who is a friend of mine, did not develop this character. I asked for the right to expand the character myself.’

Under Audiard’s pen, Emilia Pérez started life as an opera libretto. ‘During the first lockdown, I wrote a treatment quickly, and I realised along the way that it was closer to an opera libretto than to a film script,’ Audiard tells Netflix. ‘It was broken down into acts, there were few sets, the characters were archetypal.’

Zoe Saldaña as Rita Moro Castro and Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia Pérez in Emilia Pérez. (Netflix © 2024)

Where Was It Filmed?

Emilia Pérez was filmed on sets and soundstages in Paris – not on location in Mexico, unfortunately. Audiard realised this would be necessary for the film’s drama, choreography and musical nature after ‘[locations scouting] a lot in Mexico’. ‘After my third trip, I realised that was silly of me,’ he tells W Magazine. Instead, a Mexican backdrop was created in a studio, while some on-location filming took place in Paris.

Where Can I Watch Emilia Pérez?

Emilia Pérez is streaming now on Netflix.