Can We Stop Being Afraid and Admit "Emilia Pérez" is Driven Only by Bloggers and Publicists?

While I typically enjoy the Oscar race and look forward to (incorrectly) predicting who the nominees and winners of each year are going to be, this year has been a little less fun as the party seems to be continuously interrupted by this season's Oscar villain’: “Emilia Pérez.” For context, I saw “Emilia Pérez” at the Art Theater in Long Beach, CA (shout out to non-profit theater). While the movie started interesting it got dumber and more baffling as the thing went along. When I exited the theater, I was almost glad Netflix wasn’t doing a full theatrical run; no one should have to pay money to see something this insipid.

The idea that this would become an awards darling never even crossed my mind. Then, it started getting nominations. The Golden Globes went ga-ga over it, even passing over significantly better movies like “Wicked” and “Anora” for Best Picture Comedy or Musical. Zoe Saldaña (probably the only good thing about the film) has been winning awards in Best Supporting Actress (a case of category fraud, as I believe she is the lead). A couple of days ago the Screen Actors Guild Award gave the film three nominations and the various critic organizations are also throwing tons of nominations this film's way. It’s even on track to break the record for how many Oscar and BAFTA award nominations it will receive.

All of which has me going: Really? THIS movie?!

Look, I know as a critic I have no more authority on what someone personally enjoys than any random blogger. I may be better at articulating my stance than others, but I am in no way an authority. However, as a critic, I not only analyze films but people's reactions to films, and sometimes there is a lot that can be learned from what people's most and least favorite movies are. You can also learn a lot about a moment in time by how people are reacting to a movies release. Several years ago people were afraid of mass shootings after the release of “Joker,” showing that the concern of incel violence was on everyone’s mind.

Concerns about “Do the Right Thing” inciting riots showed a public whose minds were still on the Rodney King riots. Concerns about both these movies were greatly misguided (and offensive on certain levels), but they did show where America’s thoughts were. In contrast, the reception of “Emilia Pérez” has been muted by the public and largely met with lukewarm reception by critics. People seem to largely be in agreement that the movie is (at the very least) not great. Yet it continues to receive award nomination after award nomination.

Why?

Why does a movie that has a lukewarm reception at best (and is outright disliked at worst) getting so many nominations? Acting nominations for actors most would agree aren’t very good in their roles (Saldaña aside)? Best Director nominations for a guy who was directing a movie in two languages (neither of which he spoke)? Screenplay nominations for a movie that has been outright criticized by Mexicans for being a poor representation of Mexican culture? What on Earth is going on?

Well, I think the award's success (because without a box office run, we have no real way of knowing if the film is successful in the traditional way) may say more about the political climate than it does about the movie itself. Without reviewing the film here (I’ve already done that), the movie revolves around a transgendered woman turning her life around after she becomes her authentic self. The fact that this involves drug lords, a charity service, and musical numbers are discussed in the review, but the main point is that “Emilia Pérez” may be the most high-profile release of a movie about a trans woman since “Boys Don’t Cry.”

The movie has much-needed representation, is being released by the biggest streaming service in the world (Netflix), and the push-back from the far right has been minimal thus far (I would argue that this is likely because people aren’t watching it, but I can’t prove that). In many ways, this is the kind of movie that represents what an inclusive future in Hollywood looks like. Personally, I think it’s great that we live in a world where the fact that the lead character is trans is the least controversial thing about it. This is a far cry from when “Transamerica” was released and stirred up a firestorm just because the main character was trans; in many ways, “Emilia Pérez” is progress.

That doesn’t mean the movie is good though. Those who take the time to watch it are going to be treated to a wildly uneven film that takes truly stupid twists and turns and contains dialog that is laughable in the worst kind of way (“I came back because my pussy missed you” is unlikely to join the pantheon of classic cinema dialog) and ends in a way that makes audiences wonder what the point of the journey was. It’s not surprising the movie has not connected with audiences the way the award guilds want you to think it has.

The problem is we have an incoming president who has vowed to roll back many of the laws that would protect trans-identifying people. The bathroom and sports debates are in the highest gear they have ever been in. For Hollywood, a movie like “Emilia Pérez” is important. It makes them feel good to know that they are telling a story about the marginalized (whether it connects with the trans community or not is up to them to decide). While I haven’t personally dug that deep into what the trans community feels about the film, it largely seems to be ho-hum (some do love it with a passion though).

Those people seem to be in the minority though, while most seem afraid to admit they don’t like the film. Most award pundits discuss the film in terms of “well, it’s getting nominated, though I personally wouldn’t vote for it” while at least one talk show host complained about how the acting from the Spanish actors is largely poor because they don’t speak the language natively (and a French-speaking director is unlikely to pick up on the nuance of the Spanish language). The fact that this host felt guilted into apologizing for his comments when Selena Gomez got defensive spoke volumes about how this film seems to have an aura of protection surrounding it.

I think had the story been about someone other than a trans character (and to be clear: the movie WOULD largely work if the protagonist wasn’t) “Emilia Pérez” would likely have been quickly forgotten like so many other misguided Netflix movies have in the past. The fact that it IS about a trans protagonist seems to be giving Hollywood a sense that this movie is important. That this movie needs to be protected. That they have to promote this movie as life-changing when more people have admitted to having their lives changed after watching “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.”

I think had it been about anyone but a trans woman we wouldn’t even talking about it today. When the film won the Golden Globe the main star Karla Sofía Gascón gave a speech about how trans people exist, they are here, and they won’t be silenced. Why was the lead actress giving the speech as opposed to the director or producer? Probably because they knew how this would play for progressive voters. We don’t need to be manipulated by bloggers and publicists who are using the trans community to win awards and gain recognition. There is no shame in stating what “Emilia Pérez” is at the end of the day: a stupid movie that is not worth the time to watch.

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