One of contemporary cinema’s most exciting and award-winning directors, the remarkable Pablo Larraín (Jackie, Neruda) unites Gael García Bernal with striking newcomer Mariana Di Girolamo in Ema, an immersive and incendiary new drama about art, desire, performance and family, set in the vibrant dance world of the port city of Valparaíso, Chile.
Free-spirited, platinum-blonde Ema (Di Girolamo) is a beguiling, stubborn and fiercely talented young dancer and teacher. Her insatiable passion lies in the sexy reggaetón music she dances to as part of an experimental modern ensemble overseen by her husband, demanding choreographer Gastón (Bernal).
The couple is reeling from a crisis: they’ve just returned their adopted 12-year-old son Polo back to child services. The couple’s agonising decision spins their marriage into chaos, but guilt-ridden Ema refuses to let go, setting out on a secretive and fearless quest to reunite her family.
Interspersing sequences of stunning choreography with an ingeniously structured narrative of seduction and manipulation and set to a pulsing electronic score by Nicholas Jaar, Larraín’s mesmerising film hinges on Di Girolamo’s extraordinary performance: tender, volatile and fully alive.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival 2019,
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Venice International Film Festival (Competition) 2019
OFFICIAL SELECTION: BFI London Film Festival 2019.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM: Melbourne International Film Festival 2020
"One of the year’s most dynamic and electrifying films."
- IndieWire
Tuesday 20th April
102 min
MA15+
Gael García Bernal, Mariana Di Girolamo, Paola Giannini, Santiago Cabrera, Cristián Suárez
Pablo Larrain
Film Festival
Spanish with English subtitles
Palace James Street
