Ema

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1h 42m

Drama

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87%

148 Reviews

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64%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

After a shocking incident upends her family life and marriage to a tempestuous choreographer, Ema, a reggaeton dancer, sets out on an odyssey of personal liberation, in this incendiary drama about art, desire, and the modern family from director Pablo Larraín (Jackie, Neruda).

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Critics Consensus

Beautifully filmed and powerfully acted, Ema puts a thoroughly distinctive spin on its story of emotional trauma and self-discovery.

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Alejandro C

Boring and without substance. A piece that looks more like the pretentious work of a talentless film student than that of a real artist. The cinematography is not enough to avoid yawning in the face of a dull and meaningless story.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

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Rosana B

Não gosto muito de musicais e dancinhas, talvez tenha servido para quebrar o clima pesado da trama, um casal desajustado adotando uma criança problemática complexo, entretanto uma das poucas sensatas é a assistência social quando cospe verdades na cara do casal, como alguém devolve uma criança adotada gente, que pecado, que irresponsáveis… Para tudo naquele final, como assim, precisei de um tempo p digerir as informações, fiquei confusa sobre quem queimou a irmã realmente… P-E-R-F-E-I-T-O...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/27/22

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isla s

This is very much an arty film, with some scenes seemingly depicting what looks like a choreographed dance exhibit. Indeed both dance and colour play an important role in this film. I felt there's certainly a fair amount of symbology present in what we see, in terms of aspects of the performances or 'moving exhibits' during the film. Plus, in the background there's some mystical/ethereal music playing, certainly at the start of the film anyway. It was fairly clear from near the start that the film was starting towards the end of the plot. There is a definite sense of mystery present and it made me think, plot-wise, of the film 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' - it would be hard not to feel sorry for the mother, to one extent or another. Some of the script was quite good - it's fairly thought-provoking, clearly depicting an understandably strained relationship. Its got quite an urban setting, although the characters are mostly shown with few people surrounding them, so there is a sense of isolation present too. The characters are somewhat soft-spoken but then it is a Spanish film, so that shouldn't affect you if you rely on reading the subtitles anyway. I thought it was quite atmospheric/absorbing, without feeling too pretentious or over the top and so I'd definitely recommend it, yes, although it does feature strong language and some sex scenes, in case that might offend you.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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clinton b

A surreal look into a woman's destructive path to control, manipulate, and con her way into the lives of people she can control through emotion and sex to reunite with her previously abandoned adopted son. Yes, you can say that's an insane plot. Beautifully shot with it's spinning and colorful images, and beautifully acted.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Although intentionally disjointed and sexualized, there seemed to be visceral power to this film. The message seemed to be a challenge to virtually everything. The fire motif was intrusive but perhaps purposefully so. I won't soon forget the challenges this film issued.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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wayne m

Ema is a bold, brazen, sensual film but one that I found rather empty and unsatisfying. Pablo Larrain always makes interesting films and this one is no different. But I felt the structure was haphazard and the story a bit messy. Ema is a ancer in Chile. She becomes partners with her older head of the dance company. They can't have children so they adopt a boy, Polo, from the orphanage. When the film begins they hand the boy back as he is too much to handle. He is a pyromaniac and has damaged Ema's sister. The rest of the film is about Ema feeling guilty and the destruction of the relationship between Ema and Gaston. It's incredibly colourful and the dancing is dazzling, but I never really cared much for the characters. Having said that Mariana di Girolamo is superb in the tilte role and the great Gael Garcia Bernal is always a terrific watch. An ambitious film but one I found hard to connect with.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Pablo Larraín

Director

Mariana Di Girólamo

Ema

Gael García Bernal

Gastón

Santiago Cabrera

Aníbal

Josefina Fiebelkorn

Perla

Giannina Fruttero

Sonia

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Ema: Trailer 1

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Max Maller

Chicago Reader

...if there is a submerged morality at play, the 102-minute film is much more palpably a sweaty, sexy, neon-bathed scorcher...

Aug 24, 2021

Full Review

Jenny Nulf

Austin Chronicle

Aggressively fierce, Di Girolamo is a showstopper, one step away from burning up the banal, gray world that surrounds her.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 19, 2021

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Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Di Girólamo delivers a performance that is, like the combustible fuel inside the tank strapped to her back here and there throughout the film, intense, hot, destructive - and hard to look away from.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 19, 2021

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Dave Giannini

InSession Film

This is a cliché. at this point, but Ema does really feel more like an experience, or a piece of performance art, as opposed to a standard narrative film.

Feb 23, 2024

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

A portrait of a woman that's out of touch with reality, who isn't asking for freedoms but taking them, yet she's taking them from within a bubble that's unrealistic, crazy, misplaced, psychopathic, and so selfish... [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 11, 2023

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Rhys Handley

Vague Visages

Ema is a challenge to the walls we build around ourselves, to the baggage we leave behind for our children and the folly of the damage we can do to each other.

Jun 5, 2023

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Synopsis

After a shocking incident upends her family life and marriage to a tempestuous choreographer, Ema, a reggaeton dancer, sets out on an odyssey of personal liberation, in this incendiary drama about art, desire, and the modern family from director Pablo Larraín (Jackie, Neruda).

Director: Pablo Larraín
Producer: Mariane Hartard, Rocío Jadue, Andrea Undurraga
Screenwriter: Guillermo Calderón, Pablo Larraín, Alejandro Moreno
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: Fabula
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 13, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 14, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $53.2K
Runtime: 1h 42m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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