Emilia Pérez: the most hated film at the Oscars
Why is Hollywood fêting a 'garish' movie critics call 'an abomination'?

"With 13 Oscar nominations and at least three probable wins, Jacques Audiard's 'Emilia Pérez' hardly needs additional praise at this point," said Tim Robey in The Telegraph. "That's lucky, since most people would rather be caught dead than bestow any."
The French director's musical crime drama tells the story of Mexican cartel boss Emilia (played by Karla Sofía Gascón) who fakes death, then undergoes gender-transition surgery and campaigns for victims of the drug war. The film, set mostly in Mexico, is the most nominated foreign-language film in Oscars history, and Gascón is the first openly transgender actor to win an Oscar nomination. But the film has also been "roundly discredited from every angle you could imagine".
'Tour de force of disaster'
If it wins Best Picture, it would be "the lowest critic-scored movie to do so since 'Crash'", said Paul Tassi in Forbes. The film has become "nothing short of a meme". And rightly so, said Jack Hamilton in Slate. Its 132 minutes "unfold like a glittering and garish tour de force of disaster, a relentless procession of terrible ideas, terribly executed". In both content and form, the film is an "abomination".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's also been deemed "wildly offensive". Queer critics are "concerned if not completely baffled", said Kyndall Cunningham in Vox. Even LGBTQ advocacy organisation GLAAD called the film "a step backward for trans representation". Mexicans have denounced the "regressive and lazy" depiction of their country, and the film's inauthenticity. None of the stars were born in Mexico while the film was shot mostly in Paris. Mexican screenwriter Héctor Guillén called it a "racist Eurocentric mockery".
'Ostensibly inclusive credentials'
This film is "objectively poor", said The Economist. So why is Hollywood "besotted"? Firstly, money: Netflix has spent "tens of millions of dollars" on its awards campaign. Secondly, the Academy's "liberal self-image": the film's "ostensibly inclusive credentials" no doubt contributed to its nominations.
With Donald Trump's administration "resuming the demonisation of Mexican and LGBTQ+ people", perhaps the Academy intended to "hit back with its 'Emilia Pérez' love", said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian. All the criticism also risks "downplaying" Gascón's hard work to "shape her character", said Clarisse Loughrey in The Independent. "But in the end, what is the point of rallying around a representation that doesn't serve those it's representing?" Hollywood "wants to be seen as a liberal haven" but "only money really talks".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.
-
5 dangerously funny cartoons about air travel
Cartoons Artists take on fees, fears, and more
By The Week US Published
-
In search of British Columbia's spirit bears
The Week Recommends Canada's Pacific coast harbours a myriad of 'wondrous creatures'
By The Week UK Published
-
Donald Trump's foreign policy: a gift to China?
Talking Point Trump's projection of raw, unfocused power is fuelling the sense that his America is to be feared, even by its allies
By The Week UK Published
-
Will Amazon destroy James Bond?
Talking Point Broccoli family yields control of franchise to tech giant, sparking fears of corporate 'Americanisation' of beloved British icon
By The Week UK Published
-
The best body horror movies of the last half-century
The Week Recommends If 'The Substance' piqued your interest, these other films will likely be your speed
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why Japanese residents can't watch their country's Oscar-nominated #MeToo documentary
THE EXPLAINER Shiori Ito became one of the faces of Japan's #MeToo movement. Her documentary about that experience, 'Black Box Diaries,' is up for an Academy Award, even as it struggles to be screened back home.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
I'm Still Here: 'superb' drama explores Brazil's military dictatorship
The Week Recommends Fernanda Torres delivers 'phenomenal' performance as mother whose life is shattered by violence in the Oscar-nominated drama
By The Week UK Published
-
6 thought-provoking exhibitions around the US
The Week Recommends Libraries are for more than just checking out books
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
2025 Oscars: voters, record-breakers and precedent-setters
The explainer A walk through Academy Awards history, both past and present
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Costalegre: a tranquil coastal destination on the Mexican Pacific
The Week Recommends A quieter, less developed take on the luxurious beach life
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published