By Orla Ruane, First Year, English Literature
If there is one film that deserves an award for most controversial nominee in any award season it has to be Emilia Pérez. Frankly, that’s the only award it deserves. Currently nominated for 13 Oscars, a tie with that of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer from last year, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that Emilia Pérez might have the same success, even if it is undeserved. Right? Wrong. The film is now the centre of backlash amongst the trans and Mexican community, alongside recent leaks of the lead actress’ disgustingly offensive tweets, these events have led many to question why it even received so many nominations in the first place. I cannot stress enough that I only watched Emilia Pérez in order to write this, watch the musical at your own risk of your ears bleeding due to the lack of a single good song. As a film that came seemingly from nowhere with little buzz surrounding it, or dare I say negative buzz, with a measly rating of 5.5 on IMDb, the major number of nominations seems almost implausible.
First things first, a film rooted in the tragedies of the cartel you’d assume that the director had a lived experience in Mexican culture? He’s French. But surely the musical was filmed in Mexico? No, mainly in Paris. It goes without saying that the violence experienced by Mexicans at the hands of the cartel, with disappearances lying in the hundreds of thousands, should not be trivialised into a song and a dance. But sure, deaths of relatives and members of the community can only be told via a single medium… and that is the musical? Why not put a soundtrack to a humanitarian crisis? Outcry at the lack of domestic Mexican talent within the cast was explained as the ‘bigger names’ of more recognised actresses were chosen instead to draw a greater audience. However, this is pointless if they can’t act, and yes I’m talking about Selena Gomez.
Another problematic element of Emilia Pérez lies in the misrepresentation of the trans community, as critics such as Kyndall Cunningham have emphasised moments where ‘her voice reverts back to a deep, gravelly tone. There’s not much separating this portrayal from harmful anti-trans rhetoric that suggests trans women are deceptive actors.’ It is the inaccurate portrayal of the musical's two predominant groups that has led to the vast number of nominations becoming offensive amongst both communities.
Yet, the most recent scandal surrounding the musical lies within the leading actress Karla Sofía Gascón. As some have theorised online that the staggering number of nominations stems from the actress being a transgender woman, are the Oscars attempting to be subversive in a time of political taboo? However, it is Gascón’s recently unearthed tweets that are doing irreversible harm to the musical’s chance of success at the academy awards. Following reports that Netflix are no longer covering the actress’ expenses, the release of new posters centring around Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez seem to be an attempt to gloss over the damage that has been done. Disgusting tweets such as ‘I truly believe that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict and a hustler, but his death has served to highlight once again that there are those who still consider Black people to be monkeys without rights and those who consider the police to be murderers. All wrong.’ As well as ‘I am so sick of so much of this shit, of Islam, of Christianity, of Catholicism and of all the fucking beliefs of morons that violate human rights.’ Will Gascón be able to come back from this? I personally believe that her short-lived career is officially over.
Overall, Emilia Pérez is two hours of my life that I will not get back. With not a single good song and a plot that is far-fetched at best, the musical does not nearly deserve as many nominations as it has received. Perhaps some of the scandal surrounding the musical is a good thing as it means that an undeserving academy award will not be won. Ultimately the question resides in the congregation of Hollywood’s A-list stars, stroking each other’s egos at awards shows such as the Oscars, and whether or not it is reputable at the end of the day. Year after year the academy snubs excellent pieces of art whilst elevating work that is undeserving at best. I guess the true damage will be revealed on the 3rd of March, here’s hoping that the film’s reputation is permanently tarnished.
Do you think Emilia Perez will win at The Oscars?
