Pablo Larraín’s Ema transcends many fields to create a somber piece about the loss of control of one’s life.
I have been long overdue my exploration into the filmography of Pablo Larraín since I am really excited about his upcoming film with Kristen Stewart, Spencer, based on the life of Princess Diana that has been making lots of noise at the film festivals so far. Of course, this film is very different from what I imagine Spencer is going to be. Before this Larraín had made his academy award nominated film based on the life of First Lady Jackie Kennedy, Jackie. By looking at the synopsis you can tell that this a very different type of film and it was well worth the watch.
Ema looks at a tumultuous relationship between Ema (Mariana Di Girolamo) and Gastón (Gael García Bernal) after having to return their adopted son because of his pyromaniac behavior. Ema is a reggaetón dancer along with her other colleagues, while Gastón is a director of a dance company that does not align itself with the reggaetón style. Both of these two are very different individuals and leads to them having a different outlook on life and how to raise their child. The film is expertly shot by Sergio Armstrong with some exquisite framing especially of the dance scenes. The film also has some very tasteful and interesting lighting setups that help set up the atmosphere that these dancers find themselves in. Ema also includes some incredible musical compositions from Chilean American musician Nicolás Jaar that really makes this film’s sound and feeling unique. It is very influenced by an unorthodox style of reggaetón that does not sound nothing like the first or new wave of the genre.
The movie is wonderfully performed by our main protagonists, but I don’t think this movie is concerning itself with telling a tightly knit story more so examining the environment and what it means for those who want a little more out of this life. Ema is not your “normal” protagonist, but she does want things that all of us humans want. We want to be appreciated, understood, and most importantly given the chance to love or be loved. Ema does not go about it the right way to achieve most of these things especially given the overall plot and how she plans to take her child back. Throughout all of this there are two things that she knows that she at least loves, those being her child (both Polo and the eventual one she will have) and dancing. Both of these allow her to feel like the person she is and no one can take that from her. I found Ema to be a very surprising film and cannot wait for what else this director can offer.
Ema is available to rent on most video purchasing sites.
The Nerd Corps 