“With a budget of $25 million, they really couldn’t spare 60 bucks to get Selena Gomez a premium subscription to Duolingo?”—were the words of user “hunter strawberry” on the major movie review app Letterboxd. Leaving humorous critiques for movies is an integral part of Letterboxd culture, and there was nothing short of it for the critically acclaimed film Emelia Perez (2024). Users commented endless complaints about the misrepresentation of minorities. The example above deliberately makes fun of actress Selena Gomez’s supposedly horrendous Spanish-speaking abilities.
Rolling into the 97th Oscars Awards season of 2025, the film Emilia Pérez gathered thirteen nominations and went home with two wins. Audiences were not only appalled by the content of the film, but how well received it was in the critics circle. Festival circuits created specifically to represent minorities in the industry, such as the Dorian Awards (LGBTQ+) and Women Film Critics Circle, applauded the film for its portrayal of women and LGBTQ+ characters. Rounding up a total of ninety-one awards from various prestigious film festivals such as the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and Oscars, critics had nothing but high praise. However, when released to the general public, viewers were not amused. For Hollywood, this film has been a major regression in the spread of diversity and game of representation.
Beginning with the life of a young female lawyer, Zoe Saldaña’s character Rita faces discrimination and disproportionate attention in her workplace. After a frustrating court trial, she receives a mysterious call that launches the mystery surrounding the movie. The unknown caller offers her a large, undisclosed amount of money with no instructions other than for her to meet them at a news stand. After a reluctant decision and grand musical number, Rita decides to go. This is only the beginning of the bold misrepresentation of womanhood. Not only is Rita now seen as a naive individual, but she also feeds into the misconception that women are greedy, selfish, and incapable of making intelligent decisions. This continuation of harmful stereotypes remains throughout the film across each minority introduced onscreen.
Following this, Rita is kidnapped and locked in an investigation room with her captor. This is the first example of how this movie pushes the idea that Mexico is a cartel-infested, dangerous country. Her captor, Manitas, later known as Emilia, reveals themselves and they begin to negotiate the terms of her release. The conversation progresses until the Manitas very deliberately states, “I want to be a woman” (Emilia Perez). He then explains how he has felt unsatisfied with his life due to being a man, completely eroding the trans identity to a physical state. Though the film seems to elaborate on how the transitioning stage can be difficult for people, the stereotype that the transition is the only thing that marks a person as trans remains.
Even more poorly discussed in this film is the concept of Mexican heritage. Endless stereotypes are provided, the sexy Latina woman, the violent cartel leader, and more. Popular media online has commonly displayed Latina women as exotically beautiful and hypersexualized. Emilia Perez did no favors in lifting these misogynistic and racist ideologies. Selena Gomez’s character, Jessi Del Monte, is the fiery ex-wife of cartel leader Manitas. Not only is the language she uses sexually explicit, but she is one of the only characters in the film that directly performs any suggestive adult actions. Her performance encapsulates Jessi as a vibrant woman with tendencies to be excessively emotional and wild. Additionally, it appeases ideals by placing a male oriented hierarchy. Jessi’s character is weakened when her relationship with Manitas grows complicated. Her role heavily depends on whatever her husband’s current situation is. Their lives are constantly threatened in the film as Manitas’s enemies hunt down and target his family, causing them to constantly move into hiding.
Not only is the concept of gender based obedience filled, but it also alludes to the culture of Mexico being unsafe and disdainful. The film only seems to display the shameful aspects of living in Mexico, an inevitable side effect of utilizing the perspective of the drug cartels themselves. This satisfies the notion that a movie surrounding Mexico requires crime, violence, and danger. Though supposedly a love letter to Mexicans who have to endure these issues, the film does a poor job and falls into many tropes. The film has also not been confirmed to be a satire. This means that anything screened was intentionally shown, which hinders the country’s reputation no matter what the intent was. Another origin for such misinformation comes from the directing and writing, which conflicts with Jacques Audiard’s French nationality. He has very little direct experience living under Mexican politics, and the film itself was even shot in many French sound stages rather than the country it was set in.
Evidently, Emilia Perez has faults in the name of representative abilities, but it has shown an attempt at inclusion. With a strong cast that includes a trans actress and actress of Mexican origin, the cast and crew have set out to voice their stories. Though it would like to serve as a vessel for the diversification of Hollywood, it ultimately bites off more than it can chew. Littered with stereotypes and obliged to follow conventional clichés, the film falls into the pitfall that is the worst fear of any major Hollywood production: feeding audiences’ expectations.
