Emma (2019)

Directed by: Pablo Larrain | 102 minutes | drama, music | Actors: Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael García Bernal, Santiago Cabrera, Paola Giannini, Cristián Suárez, Giannina Fruttero, Josefina Fiebelkorn, Mariana Loyola, Catalina Saavedra, Paula Luchsinger, Paula Hofmann, Antonia Giesen, Susana Hidalgo, Amparoxeulicard Noguera, Diego Muñoz, Claudia Cabezas, Paula Zúñiga, Trinidad González, Claudio Arredondo, Gastón Salgado, Josué Rojas, Maykol Lara, Francisco Martínez, Emilio Edwards

Chilean director Pablo Larraín has been a common name in the film world since his English-language debut ‘Jackie’ (2016). After his trip to America, the filmmaker returned to Chile for his next project, from which the film ‘Ema’ emerged. Larraín’s new film tells of the young dancer Ema (Mariana Di Girolamo), who is married to the much older choreographer Gastón (Gael García Bernal). The two recently returned their adopted son to the orphanage because he turned out to be a problem child. Feeling guilty for this decision, Ema blames Gastón for their failed upbringing, straining their marriage. To get her adopted son back, Ema devises a sophisticated and daring plan with her dancing friends. This decision quickly has consequences for the disintegrated family.

‘Ema’ isn’t exactly a punishment to watch; for example, it is well acted. Newcomer Mariana Di Girolamo is commendable in the title role and Gael Garcia Bernal delivers strong acting as always. Sergio Armstrong’s cinematography is also a plus. The colors are always bright and hypnotic, making them a suitable backdrop for Ema’s turbulent adventures. It is therefore unfortunate that the film falls short in terms of plot and theme. Sometimes the film comes across as a serious drama about family affairs, but at other times the film is much better characterized as an absurdist black comedy. And then there are the dance sequences, which at times make the film feel like an extended video clip. ‘Ema’ in this regard is a film that is difficult to define. A change of tone is in principle not a bad thing, but in the case of ‘Ema’ this does not work. Due to the constant switching between genres, the film actually feels like a collection of large separate parts, which unfortunately never form a perfectly round whole.

Another problem with ‘Ema’ is that, in addition to the change of genres, the film also never seems to know what it means in terms of theme. Is this a story about a broken family/marriage? Is this a story about a young woman discovering her own voice in a prejudiced society? Or is this the story of a sexual exploration? It is never made clear to the viewer. In this respect, the film is a strange collage of ideas and moods, as if Larraín wanted to put several unfinished projects in one film. That Larraín is not playing it safe at this stage of his career is certainly admirable, but in this case he should have chosen a traditional narration.