Controversy over “Emilia Perez” is so bad in Mexico that Jacques Audiard had to cancel a Q&A session at the Cineteca Nacional de Mexico due to controversies over Mexican representation and trans-identity. He even issued an apology:
If there are things that seem scandalous to you in Emilia, I apologize. What I would like to say is that I’m not trying to provide answers. Cinema doesn’t provide answers; cinema only poses questions. And perhaps the questions posed in Emilia are incorrect. Maybe I simply found them interesting. I didn’t want to, and I don’t want to be pretentious.
He should have never apologized. There’s nothing reprehensible or morally wrong with the creative decisions Audiard took on “Emilia Perez.” Audiard has been a shapeshifter throughout his career, bouncing from one genre to the next, sometimes with effortless ease (“A Prophet,” “Rust & Bone,” “The Beat My Heart Skipped”); It’s what he’s known for.
Audiard has stated, time and time again, that he wasn’t trying to explore Mexican culture in “Emilia Perez,” which was actually shot in France, but rather the Mexico in the movie was just a backdrop for his story. I thought we were done being offended by movies.
Poisonous darts are being thrown at every direction when it comes to “Emilia Perez.” Mexicans have criticized the musical for being "full of stereotypes," while GLAAD has called it a "step back" for transgender representation.
“When Mexicans tell you that a movie… is portraying a Mexico full of stereotypes, ignorance, lack of respect and is profiting from one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world,” wrote Mexican actor Mauricio Morales in a statement on X. “Maybe… just maybe, believe Mexicans.”
Another person called the film’s Golden Globe wins a “joke,” adding that “it’s a racist, xenophobic mess with awful Mexican representation made by a French director who didn’t even bother to research our culture.”
The most persistent complaints seem to be that 1) Audiard, a French director, does not speak Spanish; 2) he did not film the musical in Mexico; 3) He did not include Mexican-born actresses for any of the main roles, and 4) the film’s portrayal of transness is outdated and regressive.
In a lengthy op-ed, GLAAD slammed the film as a “profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman,” calling the film a “step backward for trans representation.” Meanwhile, influential LGBTQ outlet Pink News wrote the film, “loses all nuance when it comes to trans identity.”
But hey, guess what? Hollywood seems to LOVE “Emilia Perez,” to the point where it’s seriously being considered, in some circles, as the frontrunner to win Best Picture. Some of the Hollywood A-listers who have come out raving about the film include James Cameron, Michael Mann, Denis Villeneuve, Guillermo del Toro, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Madonna.
Regardless of Audiard’s apology, and in spite of the hate, “Emilia Perez” has become a stronger awards player these last few weeks. The momentum the film has gathered is damn-near impressive; not one accusation seems to be taking it down.