Emilia Pérez

By Chelsea Lu April 2, 2025

After premiering on Nov. 1, 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival and being nominated for 13 awards at this year’s Oscars, “Emilia Pérez” now faces controversy deteriorating its views and reputation. Starring Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez, the movie follows the story of former drug cartel kingpin Emilia Pérez who hires an underappreciated lawyer to help her fulfill her dream of living as a woman. Set in Mexico but mainly filmed in France, the musical initially received critical acclaim, winning four Golden Globe Awards, three Critics Choice Awards and many more.

Isabella Zhu Art

However, despite its multiple accolades, the film has stirred criticism within the LGBTQ+ community regarding its portrayal of the transgender identity. As stated by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, an organization advocating against the defamatory coverage of LGBTQ+ individuals, “Emilia Pérez” recycled transgender stereotypes and tropes of the recent past, providing improper representation of the transgender population. Many Mexican critics and audience members have also expressed offense at the way cartel violence is portrayed in the film—viewer Dora Pancardo stated in an AP News interview that the brutality felt crude and oversimplified, especially since thousands of Mexicans are still living under the shadow of trauma and consequences of such violence.

“My first impression of the movie was how out of the place the plot felt, and just how shallowly they portrayed the violence and transgender tropes. Learning about Gascón’s past statements also made me regret watching it, since I did not want to support her or her actions,” Sophomore Danielle Rodriguez said.

In late January this year, screenshots of lead actress Gascón’s previous Islamophobic and racist tweets resurfaced, containing her offensive comments on topics such as Muslim culture and the death of George Floyd in 2020. The backlash further fueled criticisms.

With its initial success and unique backlash, “Emilia Pérez” highlights the challenges of balancing artistic success with the responsibility of respectfully portraying sensitive topics.

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About the Contributors

Chelsea Lu

staff writer

Chelsea Lu is a staff writer and this is her first year in Journalism. She loves hanging out with friends, building legos, and rotting in bed. She also loves writing stories.

Isabella Zhu

artist

Isabella is a Staff Writer/Artist, and this is her first year in Journalism. Isabella is deathly scared of running, but does cross country anyways. Her favorite things to do outside of journalism are eating, walking, and sleeping.