OPINION: Is this year’s most-nominated film deserving of its accolades?
By Chris Aguilar
Bridge Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Oscar nominee “Emilia Perez” faces a sea of controversy.
On the morning of Jan. 23, comedians Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang announced the list of nominees for the 97th Academy Awards. Among the nominees announced, “Emilia Perez” saw much acclaim during the nominations, garnering a total of 13 Oscar nominations, the most nominations for a film this year. This makes “Emilia Perez” the most nominated non-English language film in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences history, a title previously held by Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” in 2018, which received a total of 10 nominations.
“Emilia Perez” was only one nomination away from becoming one of the most nominated films in academy history. This title is only shared by three films: “All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land,” each with 14 nominations. Additionally, Karla Sofia Gascon also makes Oscars history as the first trans woman ever nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Despite the film’s record-breaking nominations, the criticism surrounding it overshadows the conversation about the film, leaving many wondering if it even deserves some of its nominations and accolades. The dispute surrounding “Emilia Perez” began long before it was mentioned as a strong award contender for the Oscars.
Much of the criticism began with its poor performance in Mexico, and for good reason. The film is widely considered extremely inaccurate in regards to its representation of Mexico and its culture. Particularly, with how the film portrays the rampant drug war and Mexican cartel issues.
Another criticism of the film is that its main cast does not include a single Mexican actor. The film’s lead actress, Karla Sofia Gascon, is from Spain, Zoe Saldaña is Dominican-American, and Selena Gomez is American with Mexican heritage from her father’s side.
A consistent topic of conversation is the resurfacing of Gascon’s hateful, racist and offensive tweets. Her controversial past has since clouded her reputation and her Oscars campaign, as many of her coworkers came out to publicly speak about the matter, including co-star Zoe Saldaña and director Jacques Audiard.
Although Netflix remains silent, they made it clear Gascon will be removed from their “Emilia Perez” Oscars campaign.
