NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Jacques Audiard鈥檚 is an Oscar contender unlike any other. It鈥檚 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, it鈥檚 a best picture front-runner that, it sometimes seems, no one likes.
On one hand, 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� 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, 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� 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 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� 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 Gasc贸n鈥檚 led her to 鈥� the latest setback in an Oscar campaign that鈥檚 veering close to becoming a train wreck.
But how did we get here in the first place? What has made 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� so acclaimed and reviled in equal measures?
It started in Cannes
When 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� , the reception was mixed but generally favorable. Audiard, the French director of 鈥淎 Prophet,鈥� 鈥淒heepan鈥� and 鈥淩ust and Bone,鈥� has made tales of transformation a specialty. But 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� is perhaps his boldest foray yet into shape-shifting narratives.
Gasc贸n stars as a Mexican drug lord who, with the help of a lawyer (Zoe Salda帽a), 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 鈥� a quality that the film鈥檚 supporters warmly embraced. The film鈥檚 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 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� seemed to have promising awards chances for its actors, it didn鈥檛 take on the air of Oscar heavyweight until late fall. By then, Netflix, which aggressively campaigns for awards, had built 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� into an unlikely juggernaut.
Working in its favor: This year鈥檚 awards season has been seen as wide open. Also, the other much-honored musical, 鈥淲icked,鈥� features songs from the Broadway adaptation, leaving it on the sidelines in the best song category where original tunes are required. Both 鈥淓l Mal鈥� and 鈥淢i Camino鈥� from 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� were nominated for best song.
It also, as France鈥檚 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 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� 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 doesn鈥檛 report box office figures, so 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� has no quantifiable ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada. The film also hasn鈥檛 ranked highly on the streaming service.
As more watched the film, some poked holes in it. GLAAD passed over 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� in its annual awards. The declared the movie 鈥渁 profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman鈥� and 鈥渁 step backward for trans representation.鈥�
Moviegoers in Mexico likewise weren鈥檛 impressed, taking issue with the film鈥檚 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 Gomez鈥檚 accent 鈥渋ndefensible鈥� before later apologizing.
A group of Mexican filmmakers even responded with a payback parody short film titled described as 鈥渁 French-inspired film made entirely without a French cast or crew.鈥�
Gasc贸n's social media posts surface
In late January, the journalist Sarah Hagi captured old posts on X by Gasc贸n disparaging Muslims, George Floyd and China. After an uproar, Gasc贸n 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 鈥渧ery few people ever cared鈥� for.
鈥淎s someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain,鈥� Gasc贸n said. 鈥淎ll my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.鈥�
Gasc贸n's X account was subsequently deactivated.
What happens next
Just how much damage has been done to the Oscar chances of 鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� remains to be seen. Gasc贸n was seen as unlikely to win over best actress favorite Demi Moore (鈥淭he Substance鈥�), 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 鈥淎nora,鈥� 鈥淐onclave,鈥� 鈥淭he Brutalist,鈥� 鈥淲icked鈥� and 鈥淎 Complete Unknown,鈥� 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 P茅rez鈥� is still the favorite or not.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
