“Emilia Pérez”: Thoughts from Film Fest to Awards Season
Written by Avery Melhado. Photo by Ana Vergara.
As the roommate and best friend of a film major who treats film fest like the Super Bowl, I was one of the first to see “Emilia Pérez.” We got there early, a late Friday night showing at Trustees. We expected the theater to be packed, knowing Zoe Saldaña’s presence was highly anticipated. This was one of the last films we would have the chance to see during the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, and everything was still exciting. The descriptions of the films were limited, so like most other showings, we went in blind with no expectations of the plot. We couldn’t have been less prepared for the next 132 minutes.
“Emilia Pérez” is a story about a Mexican cartel leader (Karla Sofía Gascón) who hires a lawyer (Zoe Saldaña) to help her undergo gender-affirming surgery, transitioning and starting a new life as a woman. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I won’t get into the entire plot, but I will say that the movie goes in several directions that come out of nowhere. Every time you think it might be ending, a new side plot begins that has to be resolved- and this happens numerous times. It ends up feeling like more plot for the sake of time, not for the development of the story. Oh, and did I mention that it’s a musical? Each twist and turn is accompanied by a musical number, making little sense in the overall theme of the story.
The major problem of the movie, in my opinion, is that it’s just not good. Some might even say, really bad! The plot is somehow both drawn out and choppy. The editing is inconsistent, and even in its occasional consistency, confusing and amateur. Don’t even get anyone started on the musical aspect. The songs are so terrible they have become comical, being clipped and laughed at across social media platforms. The film has a 2.1 star average rating on Letterboxd and a 1.4 out of 5 audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Safe to say, the movie is far from a crowd-pleaser.
However, the critics are telling a different story. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave the film a 72%, and there’s a laundry list of notable industry names that have praised the film to no end. The movie has received leading numbers of nominations and has won a good handful of awards already (including four Golden Globes and three Critics Choice Awards). With 13 Oscar nominations, only one behind the record for most nominations for a single film, “Emilia Pérez” is nearly impossible to ignore.
There is a matter of controversy, though. The most serious discovery is a selection of tweets uncovered from Karla Sofía Gascón’s account, expressing blatant racism and Islamophobia. Gascón, in response to this, has apologized publicly and opted out of attending the BAFTAs, Critics Choice and SAG Awards ceremonies. However, she is still set to attend the Academy Awards with support from Netflix. Though her cast and crew have expressed sadness and upset about the controversy, they continue to thank her in acceptance speeches nonetheless.
Aside from the Gascón controversy, there are many issues with the reception of the film by marginalized communities. While Karla Sofía Gascón is the first openly transgender woman to be nominated for best performance by an actress in a leading role, the scandal of her tweets has damaged this historic first. GLAAD even described the film as a “step backward for trans representation.” There is also the issue of Mexican representation. The film is set in Mexico, yet was filmed in French studios- instead of on location in Mexico as originally planned. This was due to the director’s preference. All three of the lead roles were also played by non-Mexicans, leading to issues with inauthenticity of accents. It was also revealed that AI was used in production to enhance the singing voices of lead members of the cast, undermining the film’s presence in the music category.
I don’t like to be a critic. Still, “Emilia Pérez” is a film I almost wish I had walked out of. The “Spanish-language French musical crime film” is messy, controversial, and generally poorly received. The question is- will the Academy agree with audiences? Will controversy counteract the critics? Or will “Emilia Pérez” sweep awards like it swept nominations? We’ll have to wait and find out.
Post-Oscars Addendum:
With only two wins, “Emilia Pérez” certainly did not fulfill the Oscar sweep its nominations suggested. Zoe Saldaña, taking home Best Supporting Actress, apologized for the film’s controversy in the press room. “First of all, I’m very, very sorry that you and so many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention,” Saldaña said. The director, who wasalso in the press room, declined to speak on trans rights. He said that if he had won, he would’ve had the opportunity, but he did not. Still, isn’t the press room opportunity enough? Many people online have criticized his response, saying it felt avoidant and dismissive. This only adds to the pile of issues with the film and its press. It is clear that even as awards season comes to a close, the controversy around “Emilia Pérez” continues to grow.
