The film, which premiered at Cannes on Saturday, is perhaps the first film that can be compared to both “Sicario” and “Mrs. “Fires of Doubt” – and that’s just the beginning.

Zoe Saldana plays Rita, a Mexico City lawyer who is recruited by cartel kingpin Manitas to help him escape Mexico for gender confirmation surgery. This proves to be the beginning of a relationship that will continue between Rita and Emilia Pérez. Emilia returns years later, becoming Manitas’s sister, to be closer to his children, who are living with his ex-wife.

Plus, it’s a musical.

Gonzo as its premise may be, or possibly because of it, “Emilia Perez” delivered Cannes a mid-festival shock. Although not every critic has been impressed by its dramatic grandeur, the film still received applause after its press screening.

“It was like a kind of opera for me,” Audiard told reporters Sunday.

The renowned French filmmaker of “A Prophet,” “Rust and Bone” and 2015 Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Deepan” Audiard said the idea first came to him while reading a novel about a narco smuggler. There was a chapter. To change his identity. From that starting point, Audiard constructed a transformative narrative worthy of a telenovela.

“To be in a movie like this, you have to be like Jacques, which is a little crazy,” Gascón said, laughing.

While the film has a stellar pair of stars like Gomez and Saldana, Gascón is the revelation of the film. Gascón, 52, who is trans, plays both the ruthless Manitas and the altruistic, bubbly Emilia, with a grill covering her teeth. He has a surprisingly physical presence in both roles.

“It was difficult in the beginning. I didn’t want to play the role of Manitas. I just wanted to play Emilia. “It took me several months to convince myself that I could do both,” Gascón said. “At one point, we didn’t know who would play both characters and then it became very clear that it would be me.”

As adventurous as “Emilia Perez” may sound, it comes across as remarkably honest. The film follows Rita and Emilia through the years and across several countries, considering questions of personal transformation. The songs are written by French pop musician Camille; Clement Docul scores; And Gomez gets a moment at the microphone at a karaoke bar.

Gascón said Sunday that she hopes Emilia will not be seen as just a trans character.

“Trans people should be treated just like any other person. I am no better or worse than anyone else. I think we should be taken for who we are,” Gascón said. “We have our body and we are allowed to change it as we want to change it.”

The narrative jumps and vocal juxtapositions of “Emilia Pérez” may have been too much for some, but for Audiard, it was too much of a charm.

“Something in Mexico has shocked me deeply – all these problems of missing people. There are many areas where you can’t go because they are not safe,” the director said. “I wanted to make a musical film. So why not in the backdrop of a tragedy?”

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