Ema (2019)

A couple deals with the aftermath of an adoption that goes awry as their household falls apart.

Director:

Pablo Larraín

Writers:

Guillermo Calderón, Alejandro Moreno

Stars:

Santiago Cabrera, Mariana Di Girolamo, Josefina Fiebelkorn

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Santiago Cabrera
Mariana Di Girolamo	...	Ema
Josefina Fiebelkorn
Giannina Fruttero
Gael García Bernal
Paola Giannini
Antonia Giesen
Susana Hidalgo
Paula Hofmann
Mariana Loyola
Paula Luchsinger
Eduardo Paxeco
Catalina Saavedra

Storyline

A couple deals with the aftermath of an adoption that goes awry as their household falls apart.

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Plot Keywords:

gay interest | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Details

Official Sites:

Announcement

Country:

Chile

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ema

Filming Locations:

Valparaíso, Región de Valparaíso, Chile

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fabula

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Venice 76 Review

Larrain's movie Ema is very difficult to rate. It does have the potential of being an absolute masterpiece, it has its distinct voice, but somehow it did not convince me.

Ema has a wonderful technical style, it must be said. The photography is astounding, as is the coerography and the music that is featured in the movie. Larrain's crew definitely achieved something outstanding from that point of view. The cast was also wonderful. Bothe the lead actress and the veteran actor Gael Garcia Bernal gave us wonderful performances. It was particularly refreshing for me to see Bernal as a more mature character rather than the youngster he is well known for in Cuaron and Inarritu's movies.

It is hard to describe Ema's plot without spoiling the whole movie. What I can say is that Ema is about a woman, a modern dancer with a rebellious soul, which leads her to destructive tendencies (not self-destructive, I think this must be underlined). The film is literally mostly a portrayal of an unique female character, which is something undeniably positive, but it also has a very thin plot, that at the middle of the film seems to lead nowhere (although the action does have an ending of sorts). Ema is mostly a character study, but from a distance (the stoic approach of the performances doesn't allow the viewer to enter Ema's or the other character's thoughts). There is a touch of symbolism (pointed to by the beginning and ending scenes), but it felt either too evident, simple or too enigmatic to grasp.

It wouldn't surprise me if Ema ends up receiving a nomination in the Foreign Films category in the Oscars or any other award, because it most definitely is outstanding, but somehow, for once, I have to say that it wasn't exactly my cup of tea.