Why is one of the ‘worst films ever’ nominated for 13 Oscars?-Rebecca Sayce-Entertainment – Metro

Every year without fail, The Oscars garners some form of controversy.

Whether it’s glaring snubs ahead of time, shock wins, or even drama during the ceremony, the glitzy event always has plenty to talk about.

The nominations for this year’s awards ceremony have finally been revealed after being postponed due to the devastating Los Angeles fires, and they’re already creating plenty of conversation.

Many were shocked neither Luca Guadagnino’s Queer or Challengers received a nod, while horror rose from the ashes with The Substance, Nosferatu, and Alien: Romulus garnering nominations for the often overlooked genre.

But one film broke records with the amount of awards it is a contender for – and it might be one of the most controversial yet.

Netflix crime musical Emilia Perez, directed by Jacques Audiard, is in the running for a whopping 13 awards, including best picture.

Emilia Perez has garnered 13 Oscar nominations (Picture: Netflix)

It has garnered plenty of controversy following its release (Picture: Netflix)

The crime musical also won big at this year’s Golden Globes (Picture: REUTERS)

It breaks the record for the most Oscar nominations earned by a film not in the English language.

Starring Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana, Edgar Ramirez, and Karla Sofia Gascon, it tells the story of Rita Mora Castro (Saldana), a lawyer who is given the unusual job of helping Mexican cartel boss Juan ‘Manitas’ Del Monte (Gascon) retire and transition to living life as a woman.

Perez nabbed four big wins at this year’s Golden Globes with best film – musical or comedy, best non-English language film, best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña and a best original song victory.

It nabbed a hefty 10 nominations with only one other film in history managing more -the 1975 musical comedy drama Nashville.

The film also has 15 nominations on the Baftas longlist, which puts it in good stead for the shortlist announcement.

But the film has been surrounded by plenty of backlash, from its choice of actors to problems with its representation and more.

It currently holds a 76% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a far lower 31% on the Popcornmeter after a spate of review bombing targeted at the film.

On X, Elliot Roberts wrote: ‘I saw Emilia Pérez. I try not to be hyperbolic on here but that was one of the worst goddamn films I’ve ever seen in my whole life.’

@filmstofilms_ tweeted: ‘Emilia Pérez is officially one of the worst films to ever be nominated for an academy award.’

Sonyashea3 said: ‘Awards aren’t the arbiters of what’s good and what’s bad but emilia perez is no joke one of the worst movies i have seen in my life.’

Reyna Cervantez added: ‘Emilia Perez is truly an awful/evil film with the worst of intentions. I don’t think I’ve ever rooted against a movie being recognized so hard. This movie should be long forgotten.’

CineVida also slammed the film, posting: ‘Gave Emilia Perez a chance. It might be the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. All of these award bodies celebrating it so much are just burning whatever credibility they have. Like this HAS to be a joke like…oh my God.’

Slate dubbed Emilia Perez ‘one of the worst movies of the year’, calling it ‘offensive on multiple levels.’

They continued: ‘Rather than enhancing the film’s narrative, the music functions as a loud and gimmicky distraction from storytelling that can’t be bothered to do even the most basic work of connecting its audience to its setting and characters.’

Los Angeles Times said it ‘isn’t as bad as critics say – it’s worse’, while The Australian added: ‘It’s cheesy and loopy and fun to watch but I think its Oscar buzz is a bit over the top.’

So, how has a film that has been dubbed the ‘worst of 2025’ garnered so many Oscar nominations, and why is it so controversial?

Transgender representation

There has been backlash over how Audiard opted to portray Emilia’s transition from her former life as Manitas, with GLAAD calling it ‘a profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman’, as well as how Emilia appears to separate herself fully from the deeds of her past.

In their review, Pink News wrote: ‘The point isn’t that trans representation must be perfect, but that it has to be earnest, and Emilia Pérez does not feel earnest.’

The Cut said the film offers ‘a dated view of trans women’, adding: ‘I don’t demand total realism from every film that I see. I can even appreciate the camp, whether intentional or not, of Emilia waking up from her 5-million simultaneous surgeries, her face bandaged like a mummy save for her eyes and lips.

‘But I expect that a filmmaker so taken by the concept of transitioning, one who’s displayed a certain level of conscious sensitivity in his previous efforts to depict lives unlike his own, to at least display an informed understanding of what that concept actually looks like in practice.’

Gascón has addressed criticism of trans representation, telling Vanity Fair the ‘trans experience is not the same for everybody.’

‘If you don’t like it, go and make your own movie. Go create the representation you want to see for your community,’ she added.

Representation of Mexico

Audiard himself has been criticised as a French director tackling a Mexican story, with many Mexicans slamming his representation of Mexico.

Posting on X, Héctor Guillén sent a message to the academy: ‘Mexico hates Emilia Perez “racist eurocentric mockery.”

‘Almost 500k dead and France decides to do a musical. No Mexicans in their crew or cast.’

The representation of Mexico and lack of Mexican cast and crew has caused backlash (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

Mexican actress Adriana Paz has addressed the criticism (Picture: Ismael Rosas/ Pixelnews,/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Speaking to the BBC, he expanded: ‘There’s a drug war, nearly 500,000 deaths [since 2006] and 100,000 missing in the country.

‘We are still immersed in the violence in some areas. You are taking one of the most difficult topics in the country, but it’s not only any film, it’s an opera. It’s a musical. So for us and many activists, it’s like you are playing with one of the biggest wars in the country since the Revolution [in the early 20th Century].

‘Part of the plot is about searching for mothers of the disappeared [searching for their children]: one of the most vulnerable groups in Mexico. And there were zero words in the four Golden Globe acceptance speeches to the victims.’

In an interview with Deadline, director Rodrigo Prieto called the movie ‘inauthentic’, particularly as the ‘subject matter is so important to Mexicans.’

‘Why not hire a Mexican production designer, costume designer, or at least some consultants?’ he added.

In their review, Little White Lies noted: ‘Even if it wasn’t a regressive picture masquerading as progressive, or completely out-of-touch with the sociopolitical reality of Mexico, Emilia Pérez would simply be a boring one and that’s just as much a crime.’

Paz, the only Mexican cast member, has hit back at the criticism, saying: ‘I’ve heard people saying it’s offensive to Mexico. I really want to know why, because I didn’t feel that way. And I have questioned some people that I trust, not just as artists but as people, and they don’t feel that way, so I am trying to understand.’

Audiard offered an apology of sorts during an interview with CNN, saying: ‘If there are things that seem shocking in Emilia Pérez then I am sorry … Cinema doesn’t provide answers, it only asks questions. But maybe the questions in Emilia Pérez are incorrect.’

Director Jacques Audiard has apologised to the film’s critics (Picture: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

On why he predominantly filmed Emilia Perez in France, he explained: ‘I came to scout locations. At that time, I had every intention of filming the movie here.

‘All of it, in its entirety, in natural locations. But in the end, I couldn’t. I even thought that when I couldn’t do it in natural locations, I could do it at Churubusco Studios.

‘However, there were more financial facilities in France. But the artistic director came here to Mexico to do research. She found many elements. We even came here to Mexico [and] did rehearsals.’

Selena Gomez’s accent

Gomez has also faced a fair share of criticism for her accent in the film, which was dubbed ‘indefensible’ by Eugenio Derbez on the Hablando de Cine Con podcast.

‘I watched (Emilia Pérez) with people, and every time she had a scene, we looked at each other to say, “Wow, what is this?”‘ he explained.

After the clip from the podcast was shared on TikTok, Gomez responded in the comment section defending her performance.

‘I understand where you are coming from. I’m sorry I did the best I could with the time I was given,’ she wrote.

‘Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie.’

Selena Gomez stars as Manitas’ wife Jessi in the film (Picture: Netflix)

The actor has faced negative comments for the Spanish-speaking role (Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Palm Springs International Film Society)

She later added: ‘Also do not ever say my fans are the problem standing up, as you say, for me.’

Paz is the only Mexican actress to take a main role in the movie, with Gascón from Spain and Saldaña an American-Dominican with Puerto Rican ancestry.

Use of AI

Alongside The Brutalist, the Oscar nominee has also been widely criticised for using AI (artificial intelligence).

During a talk at Cannes, he said: ‘In the case of Karla Sofía, it was more complicated because there were really parts of the field that were extremely difficult, especially because she had already made her transition and there were registers that were no longer accessible to her.’

So, why has it received so many Oscar nominations?

Despite the immense backlash levied against Emilia Perez, many critics have lavished it with praise, which influenced the awards run.

Emilia Perez has starkly divided critics (Picture: PAGE 114 – WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS – PATHÉ FILMS – FRANCE 2 CINÉMA)

Oscar-winning director Guillermo Del Toro is among them, calling Emilia Perez ‘beautiful.’

The New York Times wrote: ‘Audiard has created Emilia to startle and divert, but it’s Gascon’s performance that centers and grounds the story, and it’s the actress who finally gives the movie real stakes. She is its heart and soul both.’

The Atlantic echoed the same sentiments, adding: ‘It seems to revel in its contradictions, mixing crassness with tenderness, pastiche with originality, silliness with sincerity. It’s emotionally manipulative. It’s visually over-the-top. It’s a mess, in other words — a spectacular, operatic one.’

Time Magazine said: ‘A movie like Emilia Pérez — one that, instead of pleading for trans acceptance merely treats it as a given — feels even more like movie fireworks, fierce and glorious, a radical act of the imagination with kindness in its heart.’

Discussing why the film has so many nominations on Reddit, users had many different theories.

User abermea thought: ‘Oscar nominations are handled exclusively by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is comprised almost entirely of industry professionals.

While it has been trashed by many, Emilia Perez has a lot of positive reviews (Picture: Netflix)

‘Their considerations for what is a good movie are vastly different from the general audience and there is a notable disconnect between those two perspectives that has been noted for decades.’

They also said: ‘Studios lobby hard for their movies to be nominated because it constitutes a badge of honour and raises the prestige of the studio.’

Modernistamphibian offered their own opinion: ‘Having seen the film (for free, on a screener app) it’s weird and bizarre and “bad” but in a joyful, weird, nutty sort of way. I appreciate outlandish attempts in cinema. Hail Mary passes.

‘I laughed a lot at it, or with it, but it doesn’t matter—I laughed. And I was enterained. What the hell more do you want from a movie? “They really put this in a movie? OK!” Joker 2, if it had worked, would have been mind-blowing. Turns out it was just butt-blowing.

‘So what does the Academy think? My guess would be (knowing several Academy members but not asking them directly about it) that (a) they like it, and/or (b) so many movies are the SAME SAME SAME they appreciate the risks it takes, and/or (c) it lets them [they believe] stick a middle finger at Trump/Musk/etc. for the anti-Hispanic and anti-trans hate that has been simmering for the past few years and is now at a full-blown boil.

‘Awards are always political. The Academy rewards actors who direct and make successful films. They reward polticial movies. They reward people they like who are their friends. This movie is full of well-liked people.

‘But don’t forget that the film won the Cannes Jury Prize. The jury this year was Greta Gerwig, J. A. Bayona, Ebru Ceylan, Pierfrancesco Favino, Lily Gladstone, Eva Green, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Nadine Labaki, and Omar Sy.

Fans have theorised exactly why it has captured the hearts of awards bodies (Picture: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

‘And it won big at the Golden Globes, an entirely different set of voters. So three VERY different groups of people—two groups of artists, one not—love it. And it was named by the AFI as one of the ten best of the year. So a fourth, different group.’

They concluded: ‘All that aside, if you just watch clips from it, you’re not going to get it. It’s one of those movies that even if you think it’s bad, it’s doing exactly what it wants to do, apologetically. This movie didn’t try to throw a Hail Mary pass and fail, it threw the pass and it was caught. It’s just that a lot of people may not like the sport.’

A report by The Hollywood Reporter examined exactly why the film has captured the attention of the Oscars, and why it is so significant.

They wrote: ‘The Academy’s embrace of Emilia Perez is significant not just in and of itself, but also as a reflection of the increasing internationalization of the Academy.

‘In response to the #OscarsSoWhite uproar a decade ago, the Academy recruited not just more people of colour and women, but also more people based outside of America, for whom subtitles are not a deterrent.’

Whatever film fans’ opinion of the film may be, it’s sure to create plenty more debate as Oscar season rages on.

Emilia Perez is available to stream on Netflix.

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