“Emilia Pérez” is certainly the most talked-about Oscar contender of the year, for better and worse. The Spanish-language musical gained significant awards steam when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last year and won the Jury Prize alongside a shared Best Actress for its three leading ladies.
But what is “Emilia Pérez” and what’s with all the controversy?
You can get all the details below.
When did ‘Emilia Pérez’ come out?
“Emilia Pérez” first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize. It then hit theaters on Nov. 1, before it went to streaming just a few weeks later on Nov. 13.
Is ‘Emilia Pérez’ streaming?
Yes, it is. You can watch it right now on Netflix. It’s a Netflix original film.
What is it about?
Officially billed as “an audacious fever dream that defies genres and expectations,” the movie centers on “fearsome cartel leader Emilia [who] enlists Rita, an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self.”
Who’s in the ‘Emilia Pérez’ cast?
The film stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez as its three leads alongside Adriana Paz and Edgar Ramírez.
Is it a musical?
Yes, it is. More than just Selena Gomez sings in the film, Zoe Saldaña does too. It is a proper musical, with an extensive song list.
What’s the Karla Sofía Gascón controversy?
Karla Sofìa Gascón, the first openly trans actress to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, came under fire in January when past tweets of hers resurfaced that appeared to be racist in nature.
Journalist Sarah Hagi uncovered a series of tweets in which she criticized the reaction to the 2020 murder of George Floyd and supported banning religions that “go against European values.” The tweets appear to be several years old and translated from Spanish.
Gascón made several apologies including an unsanctioned CNN interview in which she said her life has been in turmoil since the controversy erupted, and has been working tirelessly to convince people to forgive her.
“I’ve been labeled as a racist,” she said. “That’s something I wanted to make very clear: I am not. Because I believe I’ve been judged, condemned, sacrificed, crucified and stoned without a trial and without the opportunity to defend myself these past few days.”
While Netflix and Gascón’s co-stars distanced themselves from her and she skipped many pre-Oscars awards shows, she is expected to appear at the Oscars.
Who made the movie?
Jacques Audiard directed and co-wrote the adaptation, after previous works including “Read My Lips,” “Rust and Bone,” “Dheepan” (which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2015) and “The Sisters Brothers.”
So, it’s a French film?
Yes. Though they speak Spanish throughout the film, “Emilia Pérez” is in fact France’s nominated entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
