Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez a musical crime drama made big wins at the recent Golden Globes on January 5th grabbing awards such as Best Motion Picture for Musical or Comedy while also getting Zoe Saldaña award for Best Supporting Actress . While some see Emilia Pérez as a ground-breaking win some view it as highly controversial since release on Netflix November 1 highlighting several major issues about director choices. Emilia Pérez showcases the complexities and divides surrounding films attempting to explore inclusive narratives with unique genre approaches.
Initial Reactions and Plot Details Highlight Unique Yet Divisive Musical Cartel Drama Emilia Pérez
Emilia Pérez follows the journey of four women from Mexico highlighting the transformation of a cartel leader called Emilia played by Karla Sofía Gascón who enlists a lawyer named Rita portrayed by Zoe Saldaña to assist in faking her death in order to transition her gender to live authentically . Karla Sofía Gascón described the film to Tudum media outlet stating it does not fit comfortably in the action movie nor drama categories. The film's win at the Golden Globes in the Best Musical or Comedy category showed viewers this was certainly not a standard crime thriller and would have much discussion and divisiveness among viewer response.
Polarizing Reception: 'Emilia Pérez' Critiques Question Depictions of Trans Issues and Mexican Culture
Emilia Pérez receives accolades alongside considerable controversy as well. It faces scrutiny for trans and Latino cultural representation with an interesting split among critic scores and audience approvals with Rotten Tomatoes indicating a critic score of 76% and audience score of 60% indicating large disagreement among critics and everyday audiences. The Vox article criticized Emilia’s transition as a ‘disguise’ and her character acting similarly to those in Tootsie. Other articles stated Emilia Pérez lazily presented Mexican stereotypes such as the characters smelling like tequila further contributing to the discussion on harmful stereotypes from the director Jacques Audiard.
Staff at Them Website Share Mixed Reactions Following Screenings of Emilia Pérez Highlighting Narrative and Thematic Issues
Them a queer publication stated many staff had to watch the movie after November release when several of them grew wary of trans themed discourse. The group discussed important topics like music’s role if a musical was even necessary in this film plus if a movie this successful did benefit the trans community. James Factora viewed film as tonally similar to Repo! The Genetic Opera despite failing to have same level of outrageous fun missing a creative edge. Fran Tirado expressed their personal dislike for every component of film ranging from acting to song while comparing the project to Ryan Murphy directed Law & Order SVU episode. Samantha Allen viewed film as confusing while praising select performances as plot felt promising at its outset but ended up falling apart.
'Emilia Pérez' Poses Many Questions On What Exactly Is "Good Representation" Of Underrepresented Communities
The cast and crew made discussions around authentic casting and trans representation very central to Emilia Pérez marketing despite its various faults. James Factora considered Karla Sofía Gascón the first trans performer to win best actress award at Cannes deserved recognition however the quality of the part and overall writing of the role felt like it was sub par with not fully realized Themes. Fran Tirado shared a thought that quality and process are two distinctly different things with the process not fully informing final view experience comparing the product to that of eating a hotdog as an overall experience rather than just the process used for preparation of that product.. The story did not reach their personal requirements of well constructed internal conflict but found moments of brilliance.
Missed Opportunities Within 'Emilia Pérez' Narrative and Performance that Limited Overall Movie Impact
Samantha Allen felt moments within Emilia Pérez showed promise but ended up unfulfilled and did not offer specific musical components to work into key segments. James Factora believed that characters could have used “I want” song conventions often employed in musical performances however they were skipped and underused when telling stories about queer and trans experience missing a opportunity. The group consensus is Emilia Pérez has “prestige” quality yet failed with execution due to its lackluster self seriousness where James Factora noted it required far too much suspension of disbelief during several points in the project. Fran Tirado emphasized even negative responses would have been preferred if the production had committed to camp absurdity where Emilia's villainous acts would have given more interesting dynamics than a trans character getting a forced redemption.
Netflix's Calculated Campaign Pushes "Emilia Pérez" To Win Big Despite Ongoing Criticisms at the Golden Globes
The Golden Globes showered accolades upon Emilia Pérez winning four awards including Zoe Saldaña winning Best Supporting Actress and the movie winning Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy Category with a speech being provided by Karla Sofía Gascón at the end. Saldaña expressed sharing her Golden Globe with Gascón as the center of the narrative with Gascón who is a trans woman also addressing the trans community through a powerful speech. The Golden Globes ceremony on January 5 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel celebrated many talents in film and television where CBS live televised all events while streaming also became available on Paramount+.
Golden Globe Ceremony Spotlights the Best in TV and Film including Emilia Perez
The 82nd Annual Golden Globes were broadcasted live with a special pre show co-hosted by Rachel Smith and Marc Malkin including Viola Davis and Ted Danson also recognized with special award segments. Comedian Nikki Glaser became first woman to solo host Golden Globes with Ricky Gervais giving the advice to always ‘be herself’ when hosting such events. The Brutalist secured the award for best drama motion picture while Emilia Perez won in the comedy or musical category of motion pictures showing different production genres taking big wins at ceremony. Other titles such as “Baby Reindeer” “Shōgun” and Ali Wong all secured notable award wins among various tv production categories showcasing various new and established performers.
'Emilia Pérez' Faces Online Scrutiny Following Golden Globe Wins Including Claims of Cultural Insensitivity and Poor Representation
Emilia Pérez despite the success at Golden Globes drew immense criticism with many calling the story stereotypical and disrespectful to Mexican culture. Some stated French director Jacques Audiard does not speak Spanish film in Mexico nor does he even utilize Mexico based actors within his 3 lead roles which caused outrage among many. Other views characterized representation of trans experience to feel dated and incorrect despite all those in the production praising the title as moving forward many critics felt opposite view. Isaa Lopez and Guillermo Del Toro defended the film as beautiful though despite their praises criticism about specific themes continues among fans.
The Controversy and Artistic Disconnect Surrounding the Cast Selection of Main Roles for Emilia Perez
Several critiques were noted that none of Emilia Perez’s three lead cast members were Mexico born with Audiard stated in Q and A “it simply wasn’t working” to cast local actress . Instead of casting those from the nation that is supposed to be showcased the producers chose actresses Karla Sofía Gascón from Spain, Zoe Saldaña from Puerto Rico, and Selena Gomez being of Mexican descent. Audiard hired those from varied regions despite claims of “authenticity” a fact brought up during the marketing pushes and interviews regarding this particular movie. Even the film team’s casting director Carla Hool confirmed the lack of “native Mexican” acting abilities as needing specific adjustment during an interview about project. Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez criticized the acting skills by Selena Gomez calling it "indefensible" which prompted quick responses by Gomez herself defending her role where she said “I did the best I could”. Even a specific scene using the line about her vulva was highly critiqued by users demonstrating all issues the movie faced among fans.
Many found Emilia Pérez as French made production using a studio setting in Bry-sur-Marne that filmed and recreated Mexico. Audiard defended this saying real Mexico settings limited the overall vision which was not fully welcomed by most reviewers. Gascón in an interview with Rolling Stone added the Mexican workers all had "French accents" which highlights how many cultural misunderstandings where missed due to filming in France and not utilizing the local cultures involved in the story and film's production team. Other fans agreed that they found a disconnect between story, visual settings, and authenticity of plot when compared to most Mexican productions available.
'Emilia Pérez' Trans Identity Critics and GLAAD Statements Following Awards Recognition
The film caused issues by using a trans person to seek redemption while also presenting a highly outdated viewpoint by the movie with GLADD calling it as "step backward for trans representation”. Online reviews also criticized “La Vaginoplastia” a song that presented all procedures in a simple check list fashion to portray a highly sensitive topic. Manitas transitions only to help victims but also appears to fail to show accountability further highlighting the issues of characters as not representative of authentic story development . This created questions among viewers as to what level of authenticity was taken while making decisions about trans character while also the way trans characters are represented within the industry.
Netflix's Campaign Success and Unique Marketing Approaches During Awards Season
Emilia Pérez emerged as a top contender during awards season where Netflix was very strategic in promotion of a film viewed by some to have potential risks but ultimately delivered a big box office returns. Netflix reportedly invested an incredible 12 million on initial purchase and then increased promotional investment of many millions more resulting in several awards during a challenging period of production which shows how money can drive production regardless of various red flags that have been publicly revealed to the public.
Netflix used powerful messaging around sorority and redemption to market Emilia Pérez as audiences felt personal investment. Karla Sofía Gascón also shared personal story about her transition to solidify a sense of authentic lived experiences as she pushed herself on campaign trail to talk with reporters while Netflix focused on relationships of Gascón with co-stars in film . The campaign tried hard to mitigate negativity regarding issues with film’s casting with other actors also promoting with public relation campaigns to show movie through a better lens. Netflix made no efforts to cover production took place in France which worked alongside several other factors that pushed movie into the limelight including many celebrities offering strong public endorsements including Emily Blunt Meryl Streep Guillermo del Toro and more who publicly approved this product during the run. Emilia Pérez serves as a strong example of how Netflix can drive media buzz among industry peers and public even when faced with various obstacles in story telling and filming locations. Emilia Pérez winning the award at Golden Globes may mark a turning point for future film productions with a large company promoting it while not trying to mask known issues in storyline or location settings that would hinder its production during creation process.
Variety, People and CBS Share Insight Into The 82nd Golden Globe Winners with the Most Noted Wins
The Golden Globes aired across several network platforms such as CBS plus available on Paramount+ highlighting the biggest achievements within cinema television and music throughout the prior calendar year. Variety listed winners highlighting key moments during 82nd Annual Golden Globes. PEOPLE Magazine also listed a large range of wins from Golden Globe celebration at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles stating "Emilia Pérez" as major win. Emilia Perez’s cast took podium to highlight those in marginalized communities creating conversation through global reach of Golden Globe media channels. Zoe Saldaña also was presented with supporting actress award showing her appreciation of “Emilia Perez” director Jacques Audiard stating all cast gave their absolute magic .
CBS News covered that “Emilia Perez” collected multiple awards with special notice being given to Gascón whose award-winning work marked the first trans nominee of such magnitude. The network also emphasized other important wins such as The Brutalist and the FX show Shōgun who also garnered multiple awards throughout the evening creating new discussion in entertainment. This Golden Globe event of 2025 follows controversy in 2021 following report of no Black members in the HFPA prompting NBC cancellation in 2022 which pushed the event to be sold in 2023 after several other boycotts from major studios. This prompted additional changes such as expanded voter numbers with 334 international entertainment journalists and changed ownership of production team leading up to current event showcasing many new and upcoming performers.
The article goes over important and often discussed issues while reviewing The Emilia Pérez showing all sides and arguments brought up by fans and critics demonstrating an all encompassing overview of complex subject with various levels of thought all equally examined.