The movie, helmed by acclaimed French director Jacques Audiard and featuring a stellar cast including Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Mexican actress Adriana Paz, initially seemed poised for success at the Oscars. However, the narrative changed dramatically when Gascón’s offensive social media posts resurfaced amidst awards season, altering the perception of the film among both audiences and industry voters.
The controversy surrounding “Emilia Pérez” did not solely stem from Gascón’s tweets but rather from the film’s portrayal of Mexico and its depiction of one of the nation’s most marginalized communities. Mexico has long grappled with a drug crisis that has led to the widespread disappearance of individuals at the hands of criminal organizations within the country.
Since 2006, reports from Human Rights Watch indicate an estimated 90,000 disappearances in Mexico, alongside over 460,000 homicides involving various individuals such as politicians, students, and journalists, as highlighted by the Council on Foreign Relations. Between 2007 and 2023, nearly 6,000 clandestine graves have been uncovered by the Mexican government, per the International Center for Transitional Justice.
Anthropologist and author Jason De León notes, “It’s such a delicate subject matter that requires careful handling.” Unfortunately, Audiard’s approach appears rather insensitive and exploitative. Following Emilia’s return to Mexico, she encounters a distraught mother in a market seeking her son who was a victim of the cartels. Touched by the encounter and burdened by guilt, Emilia suggests to Rita the establishment of a nonprofit to locate the missing individuals.
The narrative expects viewers to overlook the protagonist’s delayed sense of responsibility and redemption, glossing over her past actions. De León emphasizes the profound trauma experienced by families of missing persons, stating, “The uncertainty surrounding the fate of a loved one who has disappeared is an unimaginably painful ordeal.”
While “Emilia Pérez” delves into themes of love and identity, with commendable performances by Saldaña and Gascón, the persistent focus on Mexican drug cartels remains contentious. Author Héctor Tobar remarks, “Cartels are emblematic figures in the American consciousness, and any depiction involving them is bound to be problematic, potentially romanticizing their existence.”
In response to criticisms of the cartel portrayal, Audiard downplayed the significance, stating, “The depiction of cartels in the film serves a thematic purpose and isn’t the primary focus. There’s only one scene addressing it.” However, the film features Rita repeatedly falling into the clutches of Manitas’ cartel, searching for clues about mass graves while also engaging in a musical piece, “Para,” centered on locating missing persons. In the climax, Emilia calls upon her former cartel associates to intervene during a kidnapping, culminating in a violent showdown.
Reflecting on the film’s narrative, Tobar expresses regret, stating,
These incredibly talented individuals are collaborating on a narrative that ultimately unfolds into yet another narco telenovela. “Relatives of the Ayotzinapa victims hold up portraits of the missing students as they participate in a pilgrimage in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe to demand justice in Mexico City on December 26, 2024. While cartels may be a recurring theme in Audiard’s portrayal of Mexico, for many families, they represent a point of deep trauma—an exposed wound that has been trivialized into a melodramatic spectacle, employing a drug lord’s redemption storyline as the driving force. Mexican screenwriter Héctor Guillén highlighted this sentiment in a post that garnered over 2.7 million views, stating, “Almost 500K dead and France decides to do a musical.”
Consequently, we are left with a film that fails to address the grave issue of mass disappearances authentically and one that inaccurately represents Mexico and its people, devoid of any genuine intention. This message is directed at @TheAcademy. pic.twitter.com/lbRHNsJ9a5— Héctor Guillén (@hectorcarlosg) January 6, 2025. “It’s as if, as a Latino, you must seek approval to share a narrative that does not revolve around gangs, drugs, cartels, or migration,” De León remarks. “It is indicative of a glaring lack of creativity in Hollywood concerning the Latino experience.”
“Emilia Pérez,” France’s submission for the Oscars, marks the first instance since 2018’s “Roma” (directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón) that a film centering on the Mexican community has been nominated for best picture. Despite being nominated for 13 Oscars, the accolades fail to evoke a sense of celebration among many Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and LGBTQ communities. GLAAD criticized it as a “regressive portrayal of a trans woman.”
“Emilia Pérez” falls short of delivering the empowering tale of a trans character’s journey towards self-acceptance that it aspires to convey. Furthermore, it fails to address Mexico’s mass disappearances thoughtfully as a means to advance this narrative. Instead, it appropriates a nation and the victims of drug-related crimes as mere aesthetic elements, neglecting the opportunity to shed light on the issue or to present a fresh, intellectually stimulating storyline.
“Hollywood only seems to appreciate Latinos when they tell tales that fit within certain predefined themes and roles,” De León reflects. “It had the potential to be so much more, but alas, it ends up being a caricature.” This article was originally published on USA TODAY: ‘Emilia Pérez’ and its problem with Mexico’s drug war
