EMA
Rating: CTC
Duration: 1 mins
Director: Pablo Larraín
Cast: Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael García Bernal, Paola Giannini, Santiago Cabrera, Giannina Fruttero, Mariana Loyola, Eduardo Paxeco
Genre: Drama
Language: Chilean Spanish with English subtitles
Free-spirited, platinum-blonde Ema is a beguiling, stubborn and fiercely talented young dancer and teacher. Her insatiable passion lies in the sexy reggaetón music she and her friends dance to on the city’s streets; she’s forged a career as part of an experimental modern ensemble overseen by her husband, demanding choreographer Gastón.
The couple is reeling from a crisis: they’ve just returned their adopted 12-year-old son Polo back to child services, after the troubled boy set fire to their home and injured Ema’s sister. The couple’s agonising decision spins the marriage into chaos, but the guilt-ridden Ema refuses to let go, and sets out on a strange, secretive, and fearless quest to reunite her family…
‘An indelible spectacle. One of the year’s best. The narrative slowly reveals itself as an especially perverse kind of ‘intimacy thriller’ – not with action sequences but spellbinding psychological and erotic power games. The pleasures of Ema are many.’ Adrian Martin SCREENHUB
‘Electrifying. One of the year’s most dynamic and electrifying films – anarchic, liberated, and contagiously alive. The film is carried along by elemental forces and emotional undercurrents; scenes don’t spur the narrative forward so much as they work to melt the space between hearts and bodies. Mariana Di Girolamo gives an incredible breakout performance.’ David Ehlrich INDIEWIRE
