Emilia Pérez: A Movie with Great Success and Even Greater Backlash
- Berra Altay
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Emilia Pérez is one of the most successful films of the 2025 awards season, alongside Anora and The Substance. It has earned 11 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) nominations, 10 Critics Choice Awards nominations, 10 Golden Globe nominations, and a striking 13 Oscar nominations—which is more than many critically acclaimed films such as Parasite, The Shawshank Redemption, and Dances With Wolves. It’s worth noting that the film has also received numerous awards from festivals such as the Satellite Awards and the European Film Awards, adding up to a total of 119 wins and 237 nominations (IMDb).
Despite this outstanding number of prizes, Emilia Pérez has faced considerable backlash from viewers and media alike. It’s certainly surprising to see a movie with a 2/5 rating on Letterboxd and a 5.4/10 on IMDb receive such acclaim from major institutions.
So, why did Emilia Pérez have such a successful awards season? What made it so critically acclaimed? And why did some audiences absolutely hate it? In this article, we’ll look into the answers to those questions and more.
Let’s start with:
What is Emilia Pérez?
Emilia Pérez, directed by Jacques Audiard, is a 2024 Spanish-language French musical crime film. The story follows Manitas del Monte, a feared Mexican cartel leader who gets the help of lawyer Rita Mora Castro to disappear and transition into the woman he has always longed to be, taking on the new identity of Emilia Pérez. Emilia has now reinvented herself, living in secret and using her resources to help women who are victims of injustice and violence. However, her history and those she left behind start to resurface.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, where it received widespread critical acclaim and won the Jury Prize. The ensemble cast—including Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez—was collectively awarded Best Actress at Cannes. The film was later released on Netflix in November and is now available for streaming in various regions.
What Did the Academy Love So Much About Emilia Pérez?
While we can’t know exactly why critics liked the film so much, we can certainly make some educated guesses.
Emilia Pérez received so many awards likely because of its “depth” and “representation.” From a critic’s perspective, the film has both emotional and political depth. Not only does it explore the theme of identity, but it also explores redemption, systemic corruption, and violence against women. These elements appeal to awards juries that often look for bold narratives with strong social messages.
A cartel leader transitioning into a woman and seeking redemption? That’s undeniably a unique story, especially in a musical format. Critics enjoyed the breaking of genre boundaries, blending gritty crime with dazzling musical numbers and emotional storytelling. Some might even praise and claim that it took risks, which is something awards juries often look for.
Representation also played a big role in getting Emilia Pérez its nominations. On the surface, having a trans Latina woman as the central character—not as a sidekick or stereotype—was seen as powerful and rare.
Why Did Viewers Passionately Dislike the Movie?
Well, viewers often disliked the movie for the very same reasons critics loved it. First: the genre. The abrupt tonal shifts from cartel shootouts to Broadway-style musical numbers left many viewers confused or cringing. The mashup of crime thriller and upbeat musical felt harsh to some. It was definitely bold, but was it effective? Many felt like they were watching Narcos blended with High School Musical, and the songs were not even liked half as much.
Despite the critical praise for representation, some Latin American viewers felt that the film exoticized or caricatured Mexican cartel violence without enough nuance. They criticized the film for being directed by a European filmmaker (Audiard) and aimed at mostly European audiences, noting a shallow or stylized understanding of the Mexican setting. The film also received backlash from the LGBTQ+ community for its portrayal of its central character. Some felt Emilia Pérez was a retrograde depiction of a trans woman.
Emilia Pérez had representation (however biased), emotion, and a serious topic, which was enough to impress many critics. But for general viewers, it needed to do more. Audiences expected more genuine representation and authenticity. Emilia Pérez simply didn’t meet those expectations.
In our review of the film Challengers, Selin wrote, “At the end of the day, awards don’t define a film’s legacy.” In Emilia Pérez’s case, the movie might have a decorated, bejeweled shelf but its legacy certainly isn’t as shiny.
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