‘Emilia Pérez’ Audience Reviews Plummet Ahead Of Oscar Nominations

Topline

Audience reviews for “Emilia Pérez,” the divisive Spanish-language musical Oscar contender, are tanking on both Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd, following weeks of controversy for the film that has drawn scrutiny for its portrayal of Mexico and transgender people—but yet has not stopped its awards season dominance.

Key Facts

Why Is “emilia Pérez” So Controversial In Mexico?

Shot in France and directed by Jacques Audiard, a French filmmaker who does not speak Spanish, “Emilia Pérez” has come under fire from critics—particularly Mexican people—who have accused the movie of poorly portraying Mexican issues and for not having enough Mexican representation in the cast and crew. Some have said the film, which follows a Mexican drug cartel leader who fakes their death and undergoes a gender transition to become a woman named Emilia Pérez, who then starts a nonprofit to help identify bodies of people killed by drug cartels, trivializes the issue of drug cartel violence. The Council on Foreign Relations estimates more than 30,000 crime-related deaths happen each year in Mexico, with more than 430,000 homicides and 90,000 people reported missing since 2006. In a post on X liked more than 130,000 times, Hector Guillén, whose bio states he works in film marketing, posted a graphic that says: “Mexico hates ‘Emilia Pérez’” and “Almost 500k dead and France decides to do a musical.” Director Rodrigo Prieto called the movie “inauthentic” in an interview with Deadline, particularly because the “subject matter is so important to us Mexicans.” “Why not hire a Mexican production designer, costume designer, or at least some consultants?” Prieto said. Prieto praised Adriana Paz, the only main cast member who is from Mexico. Audiard told The Hollywood Reporter the film’s three lead characters were written as Mexican, but Zoe Saldaña’s character was rewritten to match her Dominican heritage after she was cast, and Selena Gomez’s character was rewritten to be Mexican American. Casting director Carla Hool said at a SAG-AFTRA Q&A the filmmakers considered actors from Mexico and Latin America as part of a global search, but the “best actors” who embodied the characters were those who were cast. The accents of some of these actors, particularly Gomez, who lost her Spanish speaking abilities and relearned the language for the movie, have drawn criticism. Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez slammed Gomez’s accent as “indefensible” in a conversation with podcast host Gaby Meza, who said Gomez’s lack of fluency in the language “can’t give her acting any nuance.” Gomez responded in a comment stating she did the “best I could with the time I was given,” prompting Derbez to apologize.

What Other Controversies Has “emilia Pérez” Faced?

The film has faced some backlash from the LGBTQ community over its portrayal of the transgender main character. Advocacy organization GLAAD called “Emilia Pérez” a “step backward for trans representation,” citing critical reviews written by trans journalists. PinkNews journalist Amelia Hansford criticizes the movie for portraying the titular character’s gender transition as a moral decision to absolve her of her past sins. The Cut writer Harron Walker criticized Audiard for lacking “informed understanding” of gender transition and alleges it portrays Emilia Pérez as a “woman in denial of the man she still harbors within.” The film, as well as “The Brutalist,” also sparked controversy for using artificial intelligence technology to alter certain dialogue, particularly to change the vocal range of actress Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the titular character.

How Have The Cast And Crew Responded To Controversy?

Audiard apologized to Mexican critics last week. “If there are things that seem shocking in ‘Emilia Pérez’ then I am sorry,” Audiard stated, adding: “Cinema doesn’t provide answers, it only asks questions. But maybe the questions in ‘Emilia Pérez’ are incorrect.” Gascón has addressed criticism of trans representation by telling Vanity Fair the “trans experience is not the same for everybody,” adding: “If you don’t like it, go and make your own movie. Go create the representation you want to see for your community.”

Do Critics Like “emilia Pérez”?

Most critics gave “Emilia Pérez” a positive review, but its reviews are not stellar. It has a 76% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, which lags far behind many other films thought to be Oscar contenders. “Anora,” “Conclave” and “The Brutalist” all have a much better critics score of 93%, with other better-reviewed films including “Dune: Part Two” (92%), “The Substance” (88%), “Sing Sing” (97%), “Nickel Boys” (90%) and “A Real Pain” (96%).

Is “emilia Pérez” A Serious Awards Contender?

“Emilia Pérez” is considered one of the biggest Oscar contenders. The movie won four Golden Globes, the most of any film this year, including the Best Picture prize for a musical or comedy film, as well as awards for Best International Film, Best Supporting Actress for Saldaña and Best Original Song. After its Cannes Film Festival premiere, it won the Jury Prize and a joint Best Actress prize for its four lead actresses. Several publications have projected “Emilia Pérez” to receive the most Oscar nominations this year, including The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter.

When Are The Oscar Nominations Revealed?

The Academy will announce nominations Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST in a live announcement on its social media channels and website. Actors Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott will read the nominations. The Oscars will air March 2 at 7 p.m. EST on ABC and Hulu, with Conan O’Brien tapped to host.

Further Reading

Oscar Nominations Release Thursday: These Movies Could Score The Most Nods (Forbes)

Film-maker Jacques Audiard apologises after Mexican outrage over Emilia Pérez (The Guardian)