Emilia Pérez is a film that has sparked controversy for various reasons. Among them: being a production set in Mexico but written and directed by the French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, with actresses who speak Spanish but are not Mexican (Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascón and Americans Zoë Saldaña and Selena Gomez, with particular criticism directed at the latter), and most importantly, superficially addressing issues such as the trans experience and the crisis of the disappeared in Mexico, both central to its plot. The film tells the story of a trans drug trafficker, initially known as "El Manitas" (Gascón), who kidnaps a lawyer (Saldaña) to help her with a singular purpose: to fake her death and transition to start anew. Years later, now as Emilia Pérez, she returns to Mexico to try to be near her children and ex (Gomez), while also becoming an activist for the disappeared victims of the drug cartel. The film has its positive aspects, such as the cinematography and Saldaña's performance, but it's important to note its shallow approach to the social context, which it instrumentalizes and trivializes to tell a redemption story that, in strictly dramatic terms, is not well developed. It is worth watching and reflecting on it, on European representation models of other countries' realities, and on how it perpetuates a binary exoticism both towards Latin America and the trans community.
James Cameron's movie 'Titanic' revolutionized the movie industry by introducing never-before-seen effects with a more natural 3D. It's no wonder it won almost all of the technical Oscars. But more than its stunning visuals and jaw-dropping effects, 'Avatar' also has a powerful story about sustainability, environment, and ecology. Through an action-packed adventure, we are taken into the story of the Na'vi on Pandora, a planet that can draw many parallels to Earth with its details, problems, and people. 'Avatar' may not be the best movie of all time, as many proclaimed when it was released, but it still deserves credit for bringing a potent discussion that remains relevant even years after its release.
This time, Marvel Studios took a risky bet: they picked up a relatively unknown comic book team to star a blockbuster movie. The result is one of the most entertaining films from the House of Ideas, which perfectly mixes humour and action. The trick was to make the team look like a dysfunctional family, with which it is easy to identify. Total credit to director James Gunn - who also added a nostalgic 1980s vibe, mostly due to the soundtrack (which later became a Hollywood trend). Unmissable for both fans and non-fans of the studio.
