Aug. 26 (UPI) — The leader of a Mexican cartel feigns death and undergoes gender-affirming surgery to become Emilia, the central character of Emilia Pérez, a new film premiering on Netflix in November.
The movie stars Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia and Zoe Saldaña as Rita, a lawyer who ferries Emilia through the process of becoming someone new. Selena Gomez portrays Jessi, Emilia’s wife.
“When Emilia abruptly returns to Rita and Jessi’s life, the stage is set for a collision course that will upend their circumstances all over again,” an official synopsis reads.
Emilia Pérez — written and directed by Jacques Audiard — won the Cannes Film Festival’s Jury Prize and Best Actress award for Gascón, Saldaña, Gomez and Adriana Paz.
“You have a musical that is not a musical, an action movie that is not an action movie, a drama that is not a drama, a comedy that’s not a comedy. It is such a great gift, and I’m so proud to be part of it,” Gascón told Netflix’s Tudum. “It’s a dream role that is hard to find because it has so much depth, so much richness.”
The film incorporates music and was inspired by a loosely developed character in Écoute, a book by Boris Razor.
Emilia Pérez lands on Netflix Nov. 13. The streaming service shared a teaser trailer for the film Monday.