Narco sex-change musical early favourite at Cannes / Photo: LOIC VENANCE - AFP
NYSE - LSE
| RYCEF | -0.2% | 14.75 | $ | |
| RBGPF | 2.38% | 77.27 | $ | |
| CMSC | 0.23% | 24.225 | $ | |
| BCE | -0.83% | 24.19 | $ | |
| JRI | 0.22% | 13.76 | $ | |
| SCS | -1.32% | 16.995 | $ | |
| BCC | -3.64% | 85.89 | $ | |
| NGG | -0.49% | 70.08 | $ | |
| RIO | -1.95% | 62.5 | $ | |
| RELX | -0.32% | 47.16 | $ | |
| CMSD | 0.22% | 24.444 | $ | |
| VOD | 0.72% | 11.885 | $ | |
| BTI | 0.07% | 56.228 | $ | |
| GSK | 1.28% | 40.57 | $ | |
| AZN | -0.92% | 80.815 | $ | |
| BP | 1.61% | 34.465 | $ |
Narco sex-change musical early favourite at Cannes
An intriguing musical about a Mexican drug lord escaping the narco life with a sex change -- featuring Selena Gomez in a supporting role -- premiered at Cannes on Saturday.
The plot for "Emilia Perez" initially sounded too crazy even for France's shape-shifting master director Jacques Audiard, who previously won the festival's top prize Palme d'Or in 2015.
But gushing reviews suggest Audiard may be a favourite to win again as the competition reaches its halfway point.
The film stars Zoe Saldana, of "Avatar" and "Guardians of the Galaxy", as a lawyer enlisted by the cartel boss who has always wanted to be a woman.
There were rave reviews for 52-year-old trans actor Karla Sofia Gascon in the title role.
Gascon transitioned at 46 having already built a family and a career in Spanish-language films and soap operas, and has written a book about her experiences with homophobia and transphobia.
Gomez plays the boss's unsuspecting wife in a surprisingly gritty turn for the mega-selling popstar-turned-actor.
- Frontrunner -
This year's Cannes, which concludes on May 25, has seen two American veteran directors deliver end-of-life testaments -- Francis Ford Coppola's deeply divisive "Megalopolis" and Paul Schrader's deathbed tale, "Oh, Canada".
But Audiard has delivered a film that is bursting with youthful exuberance and audacious entertainment, as catchy reggaeton, Mexican tunes and French chanson are subtly mixed into a drama that tackles gender identity, gang violence and disappearances.
Deadline called it "crazy, but also a marvel", while The Hollywood Reporter said it was "fresh, full of vitality and affecting".
The director won the Palme d'Or in 2015 for refugee story "Dheepan" and has made a series of very different and critically lauded films, including "The Prophet", "Rust and Bone" and "The Sisters Brothers".
"Emilia Perez" seems well-suited to impress this year's jury president, Greta Gerwig, known for her own musical hit, "Barbie".
The film was part-financed by Saint Laurent, the first fashion house to build a fully fledged film production company into its activities.
Saint Laurent also backed two other lauded directors who are competing at Cannes: David Cronenberg's "The Shrouds" and Paolo Sorrentino's "Parthenope" will both premiere in the coming days.
X.Maes--JdB
