Is Netflix’s Emilia Pérez based on a true story? Inspiration behind gangster musical explained

Emilia Pérez has been receiving rave reviews from critics and moviegoers since its Oct. 25 premiere — and it’s finally landed on Netflix so viewers can watch at home.

Written by Oscar-nominated French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, the musical follows the journeys of four women in Mexico on their search for happiness.

The crime drama centers on Emilia, a cartel leader who recruits a lawyer to help her fake her death by undergoing gender confirmation surgery.

The star-studded cast includes Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia, Zoe Saldaña as attorney Rita Mora Castro, Selena Gomez as Jessi Del Monte and Adriana Paz as Epifanía Flores.

Fans can expect an unusual mix of genres from the drama. Gascon described it to Netflix as “An action movie that isn’t an action movie, a drama that isn’t a drama, a comedy that isn’t a comedy.”

But what inspired this genre-bending film and is it based on a true story? Here’s everything you need to know.

Is Emilia Pérez based on a true story?

Unlike Netflix’s recent hit thriller Woman of the Hour, Emilia Pérez is not based on true events.

However, Audiard has revealed what sparked the idea for the story, which Rolling Stone called a “Transgender Cartel gangster musical.”