ALEJANDRO MORENO

EMA (2021)
Starring Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael García Bernal, Santiago Cabrera, Paola Giannini, Cristián Suárez, Mariana Loyola, Catalina Saavedra, Susana Hidalgo, Josefina Fiebelkorn and Giannina Fruttero. Directed by Pablo Larraín.

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.

REVIEWS Ema - Horrifying yet hypnotic