“Emilia Pérez,” the controversial musical-crime film by Jacques Audiard, exploded like a bomb in Hollywood: it tells the story of a Mexican cartel boss who stages his own death and undergoes gender transition, suddenly becoming a champion for those who have gone missing in the drug war. Despite 13 Oscar nominations and Netflix’s multi-million-dollar investment, “Emilia Pérez” has earned the lowest audience rating on IMDb among Best Picture nominees since 1935. On Rotten Tomatoes, its score also plummeted from 75% to 23%—a drop partly attributed to “review bombing” and partly to the outrage of Mexican viewers.
Nevertheless, an examination of public opinion reveals that the main problem is the film itself: from patchwork dialogue and clumsy translations—resulting in a comical mixture of English, Spanish, and French—to the awkward accents of actors such as Karla Sofía Gascón and Selena Gomez, which have angered some Mexican audiences. Gascón, who was born in Madrid, can’t always hide her Spanish accent; Gomez, playing Emilia’s wife sounds robotic when speaking Spanish and suddenly slips into English mid-sentence. Meanwhile, Adriana Paz, the only main Mexican cast member playing Emilia’s love interest, appears on-screen for less than 12 minutes.
Even more shocking is that transgender advocacy groups have called “Emilia Pérez” “clichéd and regressive,” arguing that the film merely exploits gender diversity to appeal to Hollywood, turning a criminal trafficker into a so-called champion for a minority group. Although the Oscars have always adored displays of diversity, it appears viewers aren’t exactly fond of this “trans-cartel fever.”
Ultimately, the story of “Emilia Pérez” shows that while Hollywood may be eager to showcase diversity and tackle sensational topics—and may even hope to send a pointed message against Trump’s conservative administration by spotlighting a transgender-themed work—merely including a transgender character and pouring millions of dollars into Netflix advertising does not guarantee success with audiences. This gap between the Academy’s attention and critics’ praise, versus the cold reception from the general public, once again proves that a purely superficial take on social issues—without strong storytelling and execution—cannot achieve lasting success for a film.
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