critics consensus

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

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Ema Videos

Ema: Trailer 1

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Ema Photos

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Movie Info

A couple deals with the aftermath of an adoption that goes awry.

Rating:

R (Strong Sexual Content|Nudity|Language)
Genre:

drama
Original Language:

Spanish
Director:

Pablo Larraín
Producer:

Juan de Dios Larraín
Writer:

Guillermo Calderón, Pablo Larraín, Alejandro Moreno
Runtime:

1h 42m
Aspect Ratio:

Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Mariana Di Girólamo
Ema

Gael García Bernal
Gastón

Santiago Cabrera
Aníbal

Josefina Fiebelkorn
Perla

Giannina Fruttero
Sonia

Paola Giannini
Raquel

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Ema

All Critics (90) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (10)

With a pulsing, angular reggaeton soundtrack from Chilean-American composer Nicolas Jaar, the film throbs and leaps rather than walks.

May 12, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…

Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
...likely to be among my favorites of the year.

September 26, 2020 | Full Review…

Kathleen Sachs
Chicago Reader
This is, among other things, a vivid musical. So what if the story ultimately stretches credibility? Larrain is not bothered about social realism; his film is more like one of the heroine's balls of flame, hurtling towards our comfort zones.

July 31, 2020 | Full Review…

Stephanie Bunbury
The Age (Australia)
Director Pablo Larrain's jugglery of colors, music, dance and visuals overtakes the emotional undercurrents of the story. But I would urge you to stay with the film...

May 8, 2020 | Full Review…

Anupama Chopra
Film Companion
It is worth persevering, because there is something in there. I'm just not entirely sure what it is...and it is an aftermath film, it takes until the last 15 or 20 minutes to pick up the pieces...

May 4, 2020 | Full Review…

Mark Kermode
Kermode & Mayo's Film Review
[A] heady plunge into sweat-drenched melodrama and a stingingly malicious failing relationship.

May 3, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
If you happen to be a disaffected, late-20s, polymorphous perverse woman this is the film you've been waiting for.

May 14, 2021 | Full Review…

John McDonald
Australian Financial Review
A stirring melodrama, a compelling character study, a hallucinatory mood piece and a rollicking dance movie all at once; Ema will have you hooked thanks to it striking visual eye from Pablo Larrain and the electrifying lead Mariana Di Girolamo.

May 13, 2021 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

Harris Dang
The AU Review
Director Pablo Larraín's moody deconstruction of an adoption gone horribly wrong takes shape as a map of disaster.

May 12, 2021 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Andiee Paviour
Nobody's Reading This But Me
... it is hard to like the characters enough, and their necessarily repetitive and stuck lives are not easy to stay with for nearly two hours.

May 4, 2021 | Rating: 12/20 | Full Review…

Julian Wood
FILMINK (Australia)
Pablo Larraín's arthouse horror-dance flick will creep under your skin and stay there.

April 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Paul M. Bradshaw
NME
A phenomenal dance movie, when it wants to be.

January 11, 2021 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending