EMA, an intoxicating comment on sex, power and chaos in modern-day Chile, follows visionary director’s Pablo Larraín’s acclaimed works JACKIE (2016), NERUDA (2016) and NO (2012). Knife-sharp and unapologetically punk, the film is a whirlwind of provocative, no-holds-barred anarchy, anchored by a searing central performance from rising star Mariana Di Girolamo alongside Gael García Bernal (MOZART IN THE JUNGLE, THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES).
Ema (Di Girolamo) is a young dancer in a reggaeton troupe: effortlessly magnetic and dangerously impulsive. Her toxic marriage to older choreographer Gastón (Gael García Bernal) is beyond repair, following a rash decision to hand their adopted child Polo back into the hands of the state. Racked with regret, she sets out on a mission to get her son back, not caring who she’ll need to fight, seduce or destroy to make it happen.
Driven by an electrifying original score by Nicolás Jaar and a reggaeton track list plucked straight from the streets of Valparaíso, Larraín’s latest is thrillingly defiant and palpably fresh.
STREAMING EXCLUSIVELY ON MUBI FROM 2 MAY 2020.
Directed by Pablo Larraín
Introducing Mariana Di Girolamo & Starring Gael García Bernal
Music by Nicolás Jaar