The Netflix film “Emilia Pérez” — a musical crime comedy about a Mexican drug trafficker who transitions to womanhood and starts a new life — is the most-nominated film heading into Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California.
“Emilia Pérez” received 10 nominations, including for best musical/comedy film, best non-English film and best screenplay. Audacious French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, who based the 132-minute movie on an opera libretto that he wrote, is nominated for best director.
The film’s other nominations are Spaniard Karla Sofia Gascón for best actress in a musical/comedy film; Americans Zoë Saldaña and Selena Gomez, each for best supporting actress; best original score; and two entries in the best original song category.
“The Brutalist,” in which an architect grapples with his past, including Holocaust trauma, received the second most nominations with seven.
“Emilia Pérez” premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won a Jury Prize and its four lead female actresses (the three above plus Mexican Adriana Paz) received a combined best actress award. The Times of London has declared it “one of the year’s best films.”
It also served as the opening night film in the Morelia International Film Festival in October and has already accumulated 55 awards and 149 nominations from various festivals and cinematic entities around the world.
Netflix acquired its distribution rights in North America and the United Kingdom, and since Nov. 13 has been streaming the film in those regions but not in Mexico.
According to reports, the film will open Jan. 23 in theaters in Mexico, where it has received the “Cinépolis Guarantee,” assuring moviegoers of the film’s quality. This, however, has led to debate in Mexico, with some social media users criticizing both the film (see below) and Cinépolis’ decision to support it.
“Emilia Pérez” follows the journey of four women in Mexico, each in search of their own happiness. The film is primarily in Spanish, although as this trailer reveals, several scenes feature English, notably those involving Gomez and Saldaña.
Gomez, born in Grand Prairie, Texas in 1992, is an American singer and former Disney Channel star whose father’s family is from Monterrey, Nuevo León. She has spoken often about her pride in her heritage, and she regularly celebrates her Mexican roots through her work and music (and by having learned to speak Spanish).
In “Emilia Pérez,” Gomez plays Lola, an influential friend to the lead character, the former cartel leader Emilia, after she transitions to a woman. Emilia, portrayed by Gascón, faces a rocky road as she navigates her identity and challenges as a woman.
Saldaña plays a lawyer that Emilia hires to help carry out her longtime plan to fake her death and undergo gender-affirming procedures.
The film is a musical odyssey set primarily in a vibrant, pulsating Mexico City. The soundtrack has been nominated for a Golden Globe, as have the songs “Mi Camino” and “El Mal.”
Because the film mixes the musical genre with gender identity and forced disappearances in Mexico, it has been criticized by some for its lack of sensitivity in addressing such delicate issues.
There also has been backlash because the main characters are not portrayed by Mexicans. Casting director Carla Hool has stated that although Mexican actresses were scouted, the best options proved to be European and American — a comment that generated social media accusations of racism and lack of representation.
Gascón fueled the criticism by calling the detractors “gatos,” which translates to “cats” but in this context is an insult, probably implying that the critics lack independent thought and are acting ignorantly.
In the category for best motion picture that’s a musical or comedy, “Emilia Pérez” will be competing against the box office smash “Wicked,” the sometimes funny drama “A Real Pain,” the dark romantic comedy “Anora,” the tennis-love triangle “Challengers” and the Demi Moore movie “The Substance.”
Winners will be chosen by 334 entertainment journalists from 85 countries.
The 82nd Golden Globes will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser for the first time. Paramount+ will livestream the ceremony, which will be televised in the United States by CBS starting at 7 p.m. Mexico City time.
With reports from Infobae, El Sol de México, Russh and Reuters
Source: Mexico News Daily
