Jacques Audiard returned to Cannes on Saturday evening to introduce the world to Emilia Perez, which obtained a rapturous response from the viewers, who gave it a nine-minute standing ovation. After Audiard took the mic to talk in French, the standing ovation resumed for one more minute or so.

The tenth movie from the French auteur — his sixth movie in the principle competitors — stars Zoe Saldaña as a annoyed lawyer, Selena Gomez as a drug lord’s spouse, Édgar Ramírez as a harmful love curiosity and Karla Sofía Gascón because the cartel kingpin who longs to flee a lifetime of crime and grow to be the lady he’s all the time dreamed of turning into. And shock — it’s a musical.

Because the credit roled, there have been whoops and hollers and shouts of “Bravo,” even earlier than the lights got here up. Saldaña and Gascón have been in tears, whereas Gomez was visibly moved, protecting her face.

Opinions broke because the forged was seated contained in the Grand Lumiére Theatre on the Palais with The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney writing that “there’s an unforced present of Almodóvarian humor, together with moments of melodrama, noir, social realism, a touch of telenovela camp and a climactic escalation into suspense, in the end touched by tragedy.” He praised Gascon as a “great discovery” and wrote that Saldaña has “by no means been higher.”

As for Gomez, Rooney wrote that the veteran star “performs each the exhausting edges and the vulnerability of a girl whose life has been uprooted twice and who wants to search out her personal happiness.” Followers of the pop star can even be stoked to be taught that Gomez sings a number of songs within the musical movie as does Saldaña, who additionally has a memorable solo dance break throughout a fundraiser.

Emilia Perez marks one thing of a triumphant return for Audiard, winner of the Palme d’Or with Dheepan in 2015. His different credit embody Paris, thirteenth District, The Sisters Brothers, Rust and Bone, A Prophet, Learn My Lips, A Self-Made Hero and See How They Fall. Buoyed by the star energy of his forged, Emilia Perez was among the many extra hotly anticipated titles of the weekend schedule.

The movie can also be notable in that it’s one in all three movies within the competitors that’s produced by the upstart Saint Laurent Productions, a movie division of the posh vogue home. Inventive director Anthony Vaccarello produced Emilia Perez and shepherded the movie’s costumes. Different producers on the movie embody Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux and Valerie Schermann. Vaccarello attended Saturday evening’s premiere with longtime home ambassador Charlotte Gainsbourg.