The buzzy movie-musical Emilia Pérez—which notably received a lengthy standing ovation at Cannes—is poised to mount an extensive awards campaign, kicking off the season with
four Golden Globes awards and over a dozen Oscar nominations. The film comes from director Jacques Audiard and stars Only Murders in the Building’s Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofía Gascón, all of whom shared the award for Best Actress at Cannes.
Emilia Pérez has earned 13 Academy Award nods, including Best Picture, Actress in a Leading Role (Karla Sofía Gascón), Actress in a Supporting Role (Zoe Saldaña), Directing (Jacques Audiard), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Original Song (“El Mal”), and Sound. Karla Sofía Gascón is also the first openly trans person ever nominated for an acting Oscar.
The movie’s titular character, played by Gasćon, happens to be a leader of a cartel, who finds herself needing help to undergo surgery for gender-affirming care. She enlists the help of a lawyer named Rita (Saldaña) to assist her in starting a new life as Emilia. This includes faking her death in order to start fresh. Despite achieving her goal, Emilia’s past comes calling as she misses her wife, Jessi (Gomez), and their children. Jessi and the kids, however, believe Emilia has been dead the whole time. Rita once again finds herself helping Emilia to reconnect with Jessi and her family.
As for genre, the film fits into more than one category—though according to Netflix, Gascón describes Emilia Pérez as “an operatic musical.” The movie also had a meaningful impact on its stars. Speaking with ELLE.com at the Toronto International Film Festival, Gomez said “I’m doing more than I give myself credit for. So I’m really proud of this project.”
Here’s how to watch the film from home.
Is Emilia Pérez streaming?
The movie first hit select U.S. theaters on November 1, 2024, then made its streaming debut on Netflix two short weeks later, on November 13. As of January 23, the film is still available to stream with a subscription to Netflix.
