NEW YORK (AP) â Jacques Audiardâs is an Oscar contender unlike any other. Itâs a musical, a trans parable, and a Mexico-set melodrama, all combined into one unique amalgamation by an international filmmaking team.
And just as singularly, itâs a best picture front-runner that, it sometimes seems, no one likes.
On one hand, âEmilia PĂ©rezâ is one of the most celebrated films of the year. It , earned and landed . Only three movies, ever, have scored more.
On the other hand, âEmilia PĂ©rezâ has been lampooned for its tonal extremes, and engulfed in controversy since it ascended to Oscar-favorite status.
A lot is hinging on how far âEmilia PĂ©rezâ can go. If it manages to steer through the backlash and go home the big winner at the March 2 Oscars, it would hand Netflix its first best picture win. Its star, , is the first openly trans actor nominated for best actress. A win would be even more historic.
Those possibilities, though, appear severely threatened after old tweets of GascĂłnâs led her to â the latest setback in an Oscar campaign thatâs veering close to becoming a train wreck.
But how did we get here in the first place? What has made âEmilia PĂ©rezâ so acclaimed and reviled in equal measures?
It started in Cannes
When âEmilia PĂ©rezâ , the reception was mixed but generally favorable. Audiard, the French director of âA Prophet,â âDheepanâ and âRust and Bone,â has made tales of transformation a specialty. But âEmilia PĂ©rezâ is perhaps his boldest foray yet into shape-shifting narratives.
Gascón stars as a Mexican drug lord who, with the help of a lawyer (Zoe Saldaña), undergoes gender-affirming surgery. Later, she emerges to reconnect with the children she had with her ex-wife, played by Selena Gomez.
The narco-musical is unabashedly audacious â a quality that the filmâs supporters warmly embraced. The filmâs ensemble shared in the best actress award at Cannes, and the movie won the jury prize. Netflix acquired it for a reported $12 million.
Becoming an Oscars front-runner
While âEmilia PĂ©rezâ seemed to have promising awards chances for its actors, it didnât take on the air of Oscar heavyweight until late fall. By then, Netflix, which aggressively campaigns for awards, had built âEmilia PĂ©rezâ into an unlikely juggernaut.
Working in its favor: This yearâs awards season has been seen as wide open. Also, the other much-honored musical, âWicked,â features songs from the Broadway adaptation, leaving it on the sidelines in the best song category where original tunes are required. Both âEl Malâ and âMi Caminoâ from âEmilia PĂ©rezâ were nominated for best song.
It also, as Franceâs submission, was nominated for best international film. As the film academy has expanded its membership in recent years, many more overseas voters have swayed the Oscars toward international nominees. A Spanish-language, French production featuring Hollywood stars perfectly suits the increasingly global Oscars.
Audiences have their say
As the awards chances of âEmilia PĂ©rezâ expanded, audiences also began to weigh in. If critics were split, viewers have been largely negative, according to some metrics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie earned a passing grade from 76% of reviewers, but just 19% from audiences. Netflix doesnât report box office figures, so âEmilia PĂ©rezâ has no quantifiable ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada. The film also hasnât ranked highly on the streaming service.
As more watched the film, some poked holes in it. GLAAD passed over âEmilia PĂ©rezâ in its annual awards. The declared the movie âa profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans womanâ and âa step backward for trans representation.â
Moviegoers in Mexico likewise werenât impressed, taking issue with the filmâs jumble of Spanish accents, its simplistic treatment of drug violence in the country and what some described as pervasive inauthenticity. The Mexican comedian and actor Eugenio Derbez called Gomezâs accent âindefensibleâ before later apologizing.
A group of Mexican filmmakers even responded with a payback parody short film titled described as âa French-inspired film made entirely without a French cast or crew.â The film had more than a million viewers in its debut weekend on YouTube, while screenings of âEmilia PĂ©rezâ in Mexican cinemas remain sparsely attended.
GascĂłn's social media posts surface
In late January, the journalist Sarah Hagi captured old posts on X by GascĂłn disparaging Muslims, George Floyd and China. After an uproar, GascĂłn apologized Thursday in a statement provided by Netflix.
The posts dating back as far as 2016 included suggestions that Islam be banned and that Floyd, a Black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020, was a drug addict who âvery few people ever caredâ for.
âAs someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain,â GascĂłn said. âAll my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.â
GascĂłn's X account was subsequently deactivated.
What happens next
Just how much damage has been done to the Oscar chances of âEmilia PĂ©rezâ remains to be seen. GascĂłn was seen as unlikely to win over best actress favorite Demi Moore (âThe Substanceâ), but pundits believe the fallout could be wider for a movie that already had a lot of dings against it.
Other films, though, have weathered controversies on the way to Oscar glory. The divisive , but still pulled out the win. This year, it should be a close race, regardless. An unusually large number of films, including âAnora,â âConclave,â âThe Brutalist,â âWickedâ and âA Complete Unknown,â are believed to have a legitimate chance.
Oscar voting begins Feb. 11. Before the Oscars in March, ceremonies by the Screen Actors Guild, the Producers Guild and BAFTA should provide some clues as to whether "Emilia PĂ©rezâ is still the favorite or not.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
