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Ema

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Overview

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 shocking 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 an artistic temperament forced to contend with societal pressure and the urge to conform. From world-class director Pablo Larraín (Jackie, Neruda) comes another psychologically acute exhumation of Latin American life featuring an unforgettable heroine who is determined to move freely through the world as she electrifies everyone and everything around her.

Reactions, Awards & Festivals

Spotlight Section - 2020 Sundance Film Festival

Official Selection - 2019 Toronto International Film Festival

Official Selection - 2019 Venice International Film Festival

Critic's Pick “One of the year’s most dynamic and electrifying films.”

David Ehrlich

IndieWire

Cast & Crew
  • Ema : Mariana Di Girolamo
  • Gastón : Gael García Bernal
  • Raquel : Paola Giannini
  • Aníbal : Santiago Cabrera
  • Polo : Cristián Suárez
  • Director : Pablo Larraín
  • Scriptwriters : Guillermo Calderón, Pablo Larraín, Alejandro Moreno
  • Director of Photography : Sergio Armstrong (ADFCH)
  • Editor : Sebastián Sepúlveda
  • Music Composition : Nicolas Jaar
  • Production Designer : Estefanía Larraín
  • Choreographer : José Vidal
  • Costume Designers : Muriel Parra, Felipe Criado
  • Makeup and Hair Artist : Margarita Marchi
  • Sound Designer : Roberto Espinoza
  • Executive Producers : Rocío Jadue, Mariane Hartard
  • Associate Producers : Paula Kraushaar, Catalina Adoni, Alfredo Adoni
  • Producer : Juan De Dios Larraín
  • Production Company : Fabula
Technical Info
  • Production Year : 2019
  • Release Date : August 13, 2021
  • Countries of Production : Chile
  • Languages : Spanish with English subtitles
  • Running Time : 107 minutes
  • Screen Ratio : 2.39:1
  • Sound : Dolby Atmos
  • Color : Color
  • Rating : R
Theatrical Engagements
Theater Name
City
State
Date
IFC Center
New York
New York
08/13/2021
Nuart Theatre
Los Angeles
California
08/13/2021
Music Box Theatre
Chicago
Illinois
08/13/2021
AMC River East 21
Chicago
Illinois
08/13/2021
Roxie
San Francisco
California
08/13/2021
Landmark Shattuck
San Francisco
Berkeley
08/13/2021
Landmark Kendall Square
Cambridge
Massachusetts
08/13/2021
Tower Theater Miami
Miami
Florida
08/13/2021
Cinema 21
Portland
Oregon
08/13/2021
Charles Theatre
Baltimore
Maryland
08/13/2021
Dundee Theater
Omaha
Nebraska
08/13/2021
Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
Westhampton Beach
New York
08/17/2021
Jacob Burns Film Center
Pleasantville
New York
08/20/2021
Laemmle NoHo 7
North Hollywood
California
08/20/2021
Laemmle Newhall
Newhall
California
08/20/2021
The Frida Cinema
Santa Ana
California
08/20/2021
Monica Film Center
Santa Monica
California
08/20/2021
Landmark Ritz 5
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
08/20/2021
Texas Theatre
Dallas
Texas
08/20/2021
Smith Rafael Film Center
San Rafael
California
08/20/2021
Avalon
Washington
D.C.
08/20/2021
St. Anthony Main
Minneapolis
Minnesota
08/20/2021
O Cinema South Beach
Miami Beach
Florida
08/20/2021
Kan-Kan Cinema and Brasserie
Indianapolis
Indiana
08/20/2021
Gateway Film Center
Columbus
Ohio
08/20/2021
Esquire Theater
Chincinnato
Ohio
08/20/2021
Living Room Theaters
Boca Raton
Florida
08/20/2021
Guild Cinema
Albuquerque
New Mexico
08/20/2021
Austin Film Society
Austin
Texas
08/20/2021
Landmark Spectrum
Albany
New York
08/20/2021
Loft Cinema
Tucson
Arizona
08/20/2021
Moxie Cinema
Springfield
Missouri
08/20/2021
Cinemapolis
Ithaca
New York
08/20/2021
FilmScene
Iowa City
Iowa
08/20/2021
Camelot Theatre
Palm Springs
California
08/20/2021
Roxy Theater
Missoula
Montana
08/20/2021
Laemmle Glendale
Glendale
California
08/27/2021
Harkins Camelview
Scottsdale
Arizona
08/27/2021
Cameo Art House
Fayetteville
North Carolina
08/27/2021
Rodeo Cinema
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma
08/27/2021
A/perture Cinema
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
08/27/2021
Speed Art Museum
Louisville
Kentucky
08/27/2021
Savoy Theater
Montpelier
Vermont
08/27/2021
Broadway Metro
Eugene
Oregon
08/27/2021
Laemmle Claremont 5
Claremont
California
08/27/2021
RagTag Cinema
Columbia
Missouri
08/27/2021
Tin Pan Theater
Bend
Oregon
08/27/2021
Syndicated BK
Brooklyn
New York
08/28/2021
Laemmle Playhouse
Pasadena
California
09/03/2021
Grand Illusion Cinema
Seattle
Washington
09/03/2021
Pickford Film Center
Bellingham
Washington
09/03/2021
Harkins Shea 14
Scottsdale
Arizona
09/03/2021
The Ryder
Bloomington
Indiana
09/03/2021
Zoetropolis
Lancaster
Pennsylvania
09/03/2021
Little Theatre
Rochester
New ork
09/03/2021
Amherst Cinema
Amherst
Massachusetts
09/03/2021
Manship
Baton Rouge
Louisiana
09/09/2021
UCR Arts
Riverside
California
09/10/2021
Cleveland Cinematheque
Cleveland
Ohio
09/11/2021
Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center
Lincoln & Hastings-Krny
Nebraska
09/24/2021
After Hours Film Society at the Tivoli
Chicago
Illinois
09/27/2021
DVD/Blu-Ray Special Features

– Collector’s Booklet with Pablo Larrain interview and new essay by Carlos Aguilar
– Select Scene Audio Commentary by Choreographer José Vidal
– 7.1 DTS-HD MA feature soundtrack
– ‘Real’ Music Video
– Photo Gallery
– Green and Red band Theatrical Trailers

1. Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal in EMA. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

2. Mariana Di Girolamo in EMA. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

3. Mariana Di Girolamo in EMA. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

4. Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal in EMA. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

5. Mariana Di Girolamo, Giannina Fruttero, and Paula Luchsinger in EMA. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

6. Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal in EMA. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

7. Pablo Larrain, by Luis Poitrot. Courtesy of Music Box Films.