Believe it or not, it’s been five years since Pablo Larrain‘s “Jackie” premiered at the Venice Film Festival and earned Natalie Portman several Best Actress nods. The film is the Chilean director’s English language debut and his first feature film outside his home country. Its positive reception at Venice and beyond practically guaranteed Larraín further work in the U.S. market. Instead, Larraín opted to return to Chile for his next film, “Ema.”
Now, “Ema,” his follow-up to “Jackie,” finally gets a theatrical release in the US after its debut back in 2019 at Venice. The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal, who’s worked with Larraín previously on 2012’s “No” and 2015’s “Neruda,” and Mariana Di Girolanzo as a couple whose adopted foster child’s pyromania shatters their marriage and incites a journey of self-discovery for the titular character. And with “Ema” finally making its debut, we are thrilled to offer an exclusive look at a clip from the film.
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Here’s the official synopsis:
Adoptive parents Ema (Mariana Di Girolamo) and Gastón (Gael García Bernal) are artistic free spirits in an experimental dance troupe whose lives are thrown into chaos when their son Polo is involved in a shockingly violent incident. As her marriage crumbles in the wake of their decision to abandon the child, Ema embarks on an odyssey of liberation and self-discovery as she dances and seduces her way into a daring new life. Centering on the sinuous, electrifying art of reggaeton dance, EMA is an incendiary portrait of a lady on fire, the story of an artistic temperament forced to contend with societal pressure and the urge to conform. From world-class director Pablo Larrain (Jackie, Neruda) comes another psychologically acute exhumation of Latin American life under restriction featuring an unforgettable heroine who is determined to move freely through the world, as she electrifies everyone and everything around her.
“Ema” also stars Paola Giannini, Santiago Carbera, Giannina Fruterro, Josefina Fiebelkorn, Paula Hofmann, and Paula Luchsinger. Larrain directs a script by Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderón and Alejandro Moreno. Chilean-American music artist Nicolas Jaar, who provided the score for the Palme d’Or-winning 2015 film “Dheepan,” also scores “Ema.”
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Will “Ema” be an incendiary hit stateside for Pablo Larraín? Audiences find out on August 13, when the film hits select theaters. Check out the exclusive clip from the film below.