If “Emilia Perez” wins Best Picture, the amount of additional backlash that will occur could far exceed what we witnessed with “Green Book” or “Crash.” Jacques Audiard’s trans-musical is absolutely loathed in certain corners of the internet (and Mexico). It’s the type of film that is met with passionate hate.
With ‘Emilia’ now the frontrunner to win Best Picture, having earned a whopping 13 Oscar nominations this morning, the detracting brigade has come out in full force this afternoon to yet again bash the film. I just had to google ‘Emilia’ to find some of the following op-eds:
The Guardian: “Oscars groupthink pushes Emilia Pérez, the weakest nominee, to a record-breaking lead”
Slate: “Emilia Pérez Is Not a Good Movie. It won four Golden Globes and dominated Oscar nominations. It’s offensive on multiple levels.”
iNews: “Emilia Pérez is insulting, ignorant trash - it does not deserve Oscars”
I’ve already reported on the main reasons for this “Emilia Perez” vitriol. Last week, the rhetoric got so unbearably heated that the film’s director, Audiard, had to cancel a Q&A screening in Mexico and actually released a semi-apology for making the film.
A post today on X, via Films to Films, says “Emilia Pérez is officially one of the worst films to ever be nominated for an academy award.” It’s already garnered close to 40k likes. Yet poisonous darts are being thrown at every direction; Mexicans have criticized the musical for being "full of stereotypes," GLAAD has called it a "step back" for transgender representation, and that’s only two of the myriad of complaints the film has received.
And yet, if you decide to take a social media detox, and delve into the real world, you’d never guess “Emilia Perez” was hated. You have no idea how many people have come up to me raving about the film. More so than any other one of the Best Picture nominees. It’s as if the social media hoards are stuck in their little bubble, refusing to burst it.
This morning, Hollywood had the last laugh. The industry absolutely adores “Emilia Perez.” What else would you make of its impressive 13-nomination tally? Some of the Hollywood A-listers who have also come out raving about the film include James Cameron, Michael Mann, Denis Villeneuve, Guillermo del Toro, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Madonna.
Don’t get me wrong, I only “liked” the film, didn’t love it, but my quibbles had nothing to do with “representation” or the “regressive” nature of the film. Amidst all of the chaotic rhetoric, what’s been weirdly underreported is that the film features the first openly trans actress to receive an Oscar nod. Yet the way it’s been greeted, mainly by leftist progressives, you expect the film to be some kind of ode to fascism.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.