New Spanish-language production starring trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón receives 13 Oscar nominations, but is slammed for misrepresenting Mexico's drug-related violence.
Despite its huge international success, including a leading 13 Oscar nominations, Emilia Pérez faces criticism in Mexico, where the transgender narco-musical has been accused of trivialising raging drug-related violence.
French director Jacques Audiard's Spanish-language production shattered the record for the most Academy Award nominations for a non-English-language movie on Thursday, after winning four Golden Globe Awards.
It will vie for the Oscars for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay and best international film, as well as multiple song, score and sound nods.
But in Mexico, where a spiral of cartel-related violence has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, the reaction has been less enthusiastic.
"The film trivialises the problem of the missing in Mexico," argues a petition on the Change.org website that had more than 11,000 signatures calling for the movie to be pulled before its scheduled Mexican release on Thursday.
"It is an insensitive film, disrespectful to our culture that goes far beyond drug-trafficking and the pain of thousands of families," it added.
Angie Orozco, mother of one of the more than 100,000 people missing in Mexico, told local media that while she did not object to Emilia Pérez being a musical, "it should be approached in a respectful way."
"I hope that we can make use of all this noise, going beyond the superficial," she said.
The film stars Karla Sofía Gascón as a bloodthirsty narco who, after transitioning to life as a woman, helps relatives of the missing. The movie also features "Avatar" star Zoe Saldaña, singer-actress Selena Gomez and Mexican actress Adriana Paz.
Gascón became the first openly trans acting Oscar nominee, in the best actress category, while Saldaña was nominated for best supporting actress.
In stark contrast, the frosty reception in Mexico began in October at the Morelia Film Festival, where the film drew lukewarm applause.
Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon), launched an early salvo late last year against Emilia Pérez, which was mainly filmed in a studio in France.
Apart from the presence of Paz, the film "feels inauthentic and it really bugs me," he said in an interview with Hollywood news outlet Deadline.
"Especially when the subject matter is so important to us Mexicans. It's also a very sensitive subject," he added in reference to drug-related violence.
Audiard has rejected criticism that the film misrepresented Mexico, but acknowledged on Thursday in an interview with AFP that he perhaps "handled it clumsily."
Ahead of the nominations, he told AFP in Bogota that some scenes in the film deliberately sought to "defy credulity" and that his goal was to tell stories that are "both local and universal."
"It's a Spanish-language film that was shot in Paris. It's a mongrel film," he said.
‘Clumsy prejudices’
Mexican writer Jorge Volpi called the production "one of the crudest and most misleading films of the 21st century."
In an article in the newspaper El País, Volpi argued it "embodies all the clumsy prejudices against gender transitions," while still praising Gascón's "meticulous work."
In contrast, Gomez — a third-generation Mexican American — raised eyebrows in the land of her ancestors for her accent when speaking Spanish.
Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez described her performance as "indefensible," though he later apologised.
The film has also been roasted by some social media users.
"Emilia Pérez is everything that is bad in a film: stereotypes, ignorance, lack of respect, making money from one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world (mass disappearances in Mexico)," Cecilia González, a Mexican journalist living in Argentina, wrote on X.
There have been some notable exceptions, however: Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro described Audiard as "one of the most amazing filmmakers alive."
"It's so beautiful to see a movie that is cinema," he gushed in a conversation with Audiard at the Directors Guild of America, according to a video posted by The Hollywood Reporter.
Audiard said he spent more than four years researching for Emilia Pérez.
But "at some point you have to stop doing research because...otherwise you end up doing a documentary," he added.
In a nod to the criticism, he said at a recent presentation in Mexico: "If things seem shocking in Emilia, I would be ready to apologise."
"It's an opera and an opera is not very realistic."
by Samir Tounsi, AFP
About you
Do you think filmmakers have a responsibility to accurately portray real-life issues, or is artistic freedom more important? Why?
How do you feel about a movie being praised internationally but criticized in its country of origin? What factors might contribute to this divide?
In what ways can a film influence public perception of social or political issues? Can you think of any other films that have sparked similar debates?The director of Emilia Pérez said, “At some point, you have to stop doing research because otherwise, you end up making a documentary.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
Match the following terms with their definitions:
Nod
Gushed
Roasted
Raised eyebrows
Mongrel
Clumsily
Bugs
Salvo
Lukewarm
Frosty
Stark
Spiral
Vie
Shattered
Raging
Lauded
Slammed
Definitions:
A. To praise enthusiastically.
B. A sudden, aggressive series of acts or words.
C. To compete eagerly with someone to achieve something.
D. A mixture of different breeds or backgrounds.
E. To criticize harshly.
F. To move or act in an awkward or uncoordinated way.
G. To express surprise or disapproval.
H. To break into pieces violently.
I. To express approval or agreement.
J. To flow out in a rapid and plentiful stream.
K. Extremely angry or violent.
L. Unfriendly or cold in manner.
M. Plain and unadorned in appearance.
N. To become progressively worse.
O. Mildly warm; lacking enthusiasm.
P. To annoy or bother.
Q. To subject to severe criticism or ridicule.
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate vocabulary words:
- The film was __________ by critics for its controversial portrayal of sensitive topics.
- After the premiere, the director __________ about the cast's performances, praising their dedication.
- The protagonist's __________ transformation was central to the film's plot.
- The audience __________ in agreement during the impactful scenes.
- The narrative received a __________ reception in some regions due to cultural differences.