Nominated for a whopping 13 Oscars, this Spanish-language musical about a transitioning Mexican narco-boss has as many haters as it has supporters. Is it a good movie? Sort of. It’s watchable and engaging, but it fails on an essential level. The film’s compelling premise—a struggle to transition—is weighed down by pervasive cognitive dissonance. A person seeking inner peace? Great. I’m there. A ruthless drug lord seeking inner peace? Less I could not care.
The request to suspend morality is awkwardly made. There’s plenty of pathos vis-à-vis the legions of murdered and disappeared drug-war innocents (by far the film’s most powerful element), but does that, in itself, turn Emilia into a good person? And if we’re not supposed to get behind Emilia, then why are we spending so much time on her journey? (Spoiler alert: the ending tries to address this question, but it makes the whole trip kind of pointless.)
The acting is strong, and on a mundane, thriller level, the story grabs. Most of the musical numbers might be good, but the need to read subtitles during song-and-dance routines kills some of the intended effect (at least for musically awkward souls like me). The story does stir emotion at times, but not often enough—and it doesn’t change the big, overstretched fact that our hero goes from psycho killer to principled social crusader—as if transitioning automatically makes a bad person good. The film deserves an Oscar in the category of Biting off More Than Can Be Chewed.