By: Michelle Young, Copy Editor
Content warning: mentions of transphobia, homicides, and missing peoples cases.
A crime-thriller musical about a trans Mexican cartel leader is an intriguing premise for a film, to say the least. Emilia Pérez (2024) received four wins at the Golden Globes and has been shortlisted for the Oscars. On one hand, while “critics have lauded the film for its avant-garde approach and representation of underrepresented characters,” it’s also under fire “for its problematic portrayal of trans identity and reliance on stereotypical depictions of Mexican culture.”
Emilia Pérez tries to do many things. It tries to produce representation for trans women, it tries to engage the audience with its setting, and it tries to differentiate itself with a set of oddly-placed musical numbers. However, Emilia Pérez is so riddled with flaws, it’s hard to argue that it’s a step forward. I give the film credit for trying: the protagonist is played by Karla Sofía Gascón, an emerging trans actress, and her performance is engaging. She plays Emilia with a duality — jumping between tenderness for her partner and family, but displaying a chilling amount of anger when these are threatened. This is largely where the trans representation fails: in Emilia, the film seems to suggest there is an inherent anger and violent tendency in trans women, which is far from true. She should have been written with more care — especially as Emilia Pérez uses “trans identity as an ‘inherently redemptive’ tool for its criminal protagonist” at a time where homicides, transfemicides, and missing peoples cases are all very real issues in Mexico.
Gascón herself shouldn’t be getting hate for the film, being trans, or winning awards. The film’s director, Jacques Audiard, on the other hand — deserves a lot of criticism. The characterization of Emilia is far from the only issue with Emilia Pérez. The plot itself treats transitioning as a spectacle, with its musical number “La Vaginoplastia” (“The Vaginoplasty”) focusing on gender-affirming surgery as being the core of the trans experience. Emilia’s attempt to right her wrongs as a cartel leader post-transition might have been a compelling story about finally being true to herself and coming into her own, if it was done mindfully. Instead, the film’s conclusion completely derails any character development as Emilia threatens her ex-wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and withholds her funds for attempting to move out with their children. The film also had the opportunity to explore motherhood, as she and Jessi co-parent their children with very different approaches. However, the film does not delve into this, and instead portrays Emilia as possessive. Jessi’s storyline is an interesting one, as she is trying to find balance between being a mother and her own happiness. Again, this plotline isn’t deeply explored.
“The film seems to suggest there is an inherent anger and violent tendency in trans women, which is far from true.”
What also left a bitter taste in my mouth is Audiard’s comments on Mexico. When asked about his research process to create the film, he said, “I didn’t study much, because what I needed to understand is what I already knew.” This arrogance is glaringly obvious in the film, as Mexico is largely portrayed in its relation to drug cartels and little more. Cristina Escobar, film critic and editor put it perfectly: “There’s a whole society out there, and people living their lives, and other identities and other ways to understand what it is to be Mexican in Mexico. And the film just doesn’t have any . . . curiosity about those things.” Despite the initial intention of hiring an all-Mexican cast, the casting director claimed they “had to figure out how to adjust authenticity,” as they felt the best fit for the roles were primarily non-Mexican actors. I find it quite hard to believe that in a population of over 100 million, there were no suitable actors for the film — especially when Mexican films themselves cast their own actors.
Emilia Pérez is engaging, and it has a few songs to jam to afterwards. However, to say it is a meaningful step forward for trans or Latin American visibility would be giving it too much credit.
