This article was originally posted via the DIASPORA NEWSLETTER on March 4, 2025. Subscribe here.
There are some days when I just want to get a little messy on the internet.
The other I decided to play in the Threads pool when I saw that Emilia Pérez actor Karla Sofía Gascón will be attending the 97th Academy Awards ceremony. And yes, she should be invited because she is a nominee. That’s a given. Even though the movie was a desperate, miserable sloppy musical that bolstered stereotypes — I cannot argue that she should be invited. She should be able to celebrate the film no matter how horrible it is.
After journalist Sarah Hagi showed us receipts of Gascón’s racism and Islamaphobia when she uncovered — you guessed it — a gaggle of problematic tweets from her past, the film’s reputation was tarnished. And it compounded the divisiveness of the film and it made me just want this movie to go away even more.
I remember seeing this movie at an early screening with Gascón. After the screening, I recall the small crowd of journalists, publicists, and execs gushing about how much they loved this movie. It was as if I was the only one who thought it was horrible. I even told the publicists and everyone I wasn’t that big of a fan. I don’t think anyone held it against me. Since I didn’t like the movie as much as everyone else, I didn’t feel the need to meet Gascón.
At first, I accepted the fact that people loved this movie and called it a great musical (barf). I love that for them. I had a feeling that it was going to be an awards season contender — but I didn’t think it was going to be so praised.
I don’t know what it was, but Netflix’s PR and marketing strategy behind this one was clever and it worked. The streaming giant was definitely giving “nothing like you have ever seen before!” energy with its publicity — and just the way it was being treated by the community at large didn’t sit right with me.
But once Gascón decided to show us her true colors, I just couldn’t stand to be around this film anymore — but it was part of the awards season conversation. And I am brave. So I persevered.
When host Conan O’Brien took a jab at her, they cut to her in the audience. The ceremony gave her the exact amount of screen time she needed. One of my friends said of Gascón’s presence at the Oscars: “I know she’s staying at the Super 8 or whatever and got that dress from Marshalls.”
Emilia Pérez won two of the 13 Oscars for which it was nominated. Expectedly, Zoe Saldana won for Best Supporting Actress and “El Mal” won the pic Best Original Song, giving Diane Warren her 16th Oscar loss. It still baffles me how Emilia Pérez won the latter considering I keep forgetting the film is a musical.
And don’t get me started on when that woman started singing during her acceptance speech.
There was a moment when I thought Penelope Cruz was going to utter the words Emilia Pérez when she announced the winner for Best International Film. I breathed a sigh of relief when Brazil’s I’m Still Here won the trophy.
After Sean Baker made history by winning four Oscars for Anora, I thought I could close the books on this year’s awards season. I could walk away with good memories of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s magical performance of a medley of the Ozian multiverse and Conan’s Kendrick Lamar/Drake quip.
Then I saw this headline…
And then this happened…
And then I was like this…
Oof.
Emilia Pérez seems like one of those Oscar movies where many people were instructed to like it. The movie has become a cautionary tale of the nuance and complexities of representation as well as the need to make sure your actors don’t have a history of racist and Islamophobic remarks. Emilia Pérez was supposed to be a benchmark moment for the trans community as well as the Mexican community, but instead, it was Hollywood’s version of what they want the trans and Mexican communities to be.
Netflix had the opportunity for something amazing to help bolster and dismantle Mexican and trans stereotypes in films. Instead, it amplified them with song. Whether or not it is a “good” movie or not is no longer part of the conversation when it comes to being a film that is supposed to represent historically marginalized people.
Considering this is a very global film, Emilia Pérez’s floundering efforts of representation and Gascon’s Twitter tirades about race, may not matter as much in other countries and cultures. I realized this when someone called me “So American” for hating on the movie because it was trash and because I was coming for Gascon. It was someone who lived abroad.
Location in this world and societal culture may or may not have to do with why the reception of the film. All I know is that I didn’t like it — as did many others. GLAAD made its position crystal clear while queer publications like Them and Autostraddle were not on board and a review in The New Yorker said it is a “wild ride to nowhere”. However, the divisive audacity of Emilia Pérez was addressed in Out with an article titled “Why Emilia Pérez’s trans critics are wrong”.
I wanted to answer the question: “Why do people like this horrible movie?”
There is no answer because opinions were opinion’ing with Emilia Pérez this whole goddam awards season… and I gladly hopped on board.
I saw the words “Nothing like you have never seen before!” orbiting around Emilia Pérez in its marketing campaign that might as well have said “I love the trans and Latino community! I have a trans Latino friend!” , with sideshow aplomb.
The publicists were savvy with who they picked to see the movie early and which critics — sometimes, they are international — they know will give them the reviews they wanted. They knew exactly what they were doing. Emilia Pérez had a very smart campaign. But they did everything but research Miss Karla’s tweets.
Netflix made a choice. The streamer could have poured more awards season effort into the trans documentary Will & Harper, which gave a 360-degree look at our country’s treatment of the trans community. It taught audiences empathy and how to have a conversation with someone with people who are different from us.
Instead, true to Hollywood form, Netflix decided to throw their weight behind the flashier and sexier film that they thought would make them the Captain Save a Ho for representation. Sure, it started off well, but look how it ended. I guess having a sloppy Oscar-winning controversial film is better than not having an Oscar at all.
And now, I am done talking about Emilia Pérez.
