Is Emilia Pérez based on a true story? Inspiration behind the Oscar-winning film explored

Since its release, Emilia Pérez many viewers have now been wondering: is the story constructed around real-life events, or is it simply fictional? To put it simply, no, Emilia Pérez is not based on a true real-life story.

Keep reading to find your answer written below in depth!

The film has kept its viewers on its feet with its confident and audacious narrative, blending the elements of crime, humor, and musical numbers into one single-formed experience.

The film has been directed by a French director named Jacques Audiard and tells the story of an infamous cartel leader who goes through a gender transition, bringing up talks about individuality and societal perception.

With its narrative and strong performances from Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and pop sensation Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez has received critical acclaim, winning the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in the year 2024 along with winning numerous Golden Globe Awards in the year 2025.

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The Truth Behind Emilia Pérez: Fact or Fiction?

Despite its intense and expressively led storyline, Emilia Pérez is surely not based on a true story. The film’s protagonist, Emilia Pérez, previously known as Manitas Del Monte, is wholly fictional. There has not been a real-life cartel leader who transitioned in the way the film portrays on screen.

Nevertheless, Emilia Pérez was inspired by a fictional character from a 2018 French novel titled Écoute, written by author Boris Razon. While the novel merely references a drug kingpin wanting to transition, Audiard glimpses potential in the character and requests allowance to develop the character, making way for the foundation for Emilia.

“Halfway through, there is a character who is a drug kingpin who wants to transition to become a woman.....“The author, who is a friend of mine, did not develop this character. I asked for the right to expand the character myself.”

Audiard clarified in an interview given to W Magazine.

Audiard primarily theorized the story as an opera with characters that were quite archetypical before finally turning it into a musical film. The distinctive mixture of realistic-looking cinematography and musical numbers makes the film look like it has been rooted in reality but the film remains fictitious.

The Film’s Themes and Real-World Influences:

Even though Emilia Pérez may not be based on real-life events, it nonetheless does take a look at fairly universal themes like gender identification, transforming oneself, and/or redemption.

The film follows a character named Rita who is a defense lawyer in the city of Mexico. Rita takes on a rewarding but unusual case— assisting the cartel leader named Manitas to transition into Emilia.

As Emilia endeavors to leave her ferocious past at the back, while accepting a new life, the story brings about some complicated moral queries regarding how society looks at change and penance.

While Emilia’s journey as a character is purely just fictional, the casting of Karla Sofía Gascón brought about a layer of realism to the story. As a real trans actress and a person, Gascón brought on board some personal familiarity and vision into playing the character.

According to Vogue -

“The director rewrote certain scenes as a result of Karla’s input—for example, one scene featuring an explosion of physical violence by Emilia was pared back to seething fury.”

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While Emilia Pérez tells a story that feels personal and socially applicable, it is ultimately a created for fictitious purpose only.

However, the film does stay inspired by a French novel written in 2018 titled Écoute written by Boris Razon.