Why The Oscars Are Wrong About Emilia Pérez (And What You Should Actually Watch)

The polarizing though either way Industry favorite “Emilia Pérez” landed 13 Oscar nominations, setting the record for the most nominations for an international film. The Spanish-language French musical crime film, written and directed by Jacques Audiard, is also tied with “Gone With the Wind,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Forrest Gump” and “Oppenheimer.” . for the second most Oscar nominations of all time. /Film’s Jeremy Mathai called the film a “swing and miss,” and with an audience score of 32% on Rotten Tomatoes, he’s certainly not alone in thinking the film was a huge blow.

Let’s say you’re someone who likes the movie. In this case, I’m not here to tell anyone what anyone thinks about a work of art. But given the legitimate criticism that has been leveled at the film regarding both its trans representation and its depiction of Mexican culture, it’s extremely disappointing to realize how Academy voters are completely out of touch and clearly voting for the appearance of performative progress of what has been achieved. “Émilie Pérez” symbolizesrather than letting the communities depicted in the film take the lead and determine whether or not this portrayal is worth celebrating.

“Emilia Pérez” won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and received widespread critical praise, but the overwhelming majority was written by cisgender critics. The more trans and queer critics saw the film, the more obvious the problems became. GLAAD even called the film “a profoundly retrograde portrait of a trans woman,” a sentiment I share. But those who love the film continue to hail it as “progress,” noting that Karla Sofia Gascón’s nomination for best actress is a historic first for transgender actors around the world (despite the fact that she suggested that queer and trans critics who didn’t like his film were “stupid”). But who gets to dictate what “progress” looks like: the well-meaning cis people who are desperately trying to prove they’re not transphobic by exaggerating a regressive mess, or the actual LGBTQIA+ community who’ve been opposing it for now… The famous clip “from penis to vaginaaaaaa” started making the rounds on social networks?

Quite honestly, I don’t want to waste any more words talking about “Emilia Pérez”, because none of my complaints in an article will change the nominations. Instead, I’m going to shout out the incredible list of trans films coming out in 2024 that are worth your time.

Even though “I Saw the TV Glow” wasn’t Jane Schoenbrun’s first feature film, they really arrived with their second feature about two friends named Owen and Maddy whose obsession with a TV show called “The Pink Opaque” opens up a supernatural world that mirrors their own. , shattering Owen’s perception of reality and identity. It was hailed not only as one of the best horror films of the year, but also as one of the best films of the year, period. If the Academy was truly looking to highlight a trans film this year, why not a haunting and poetic examination of the “egg crack” experience actually written and directed by a trans person? “I Saw the TV Glow” was such a monumental achievement in transgender cinema that its “there’s still time” message inspired many people to finally accept the truth about themselves and come out as transgender. We cannot say that “Emilia Pérez” had the same impact.

And while it’s doubtful whether Alice Maio Mackay’s “Carnage for Christmas” will ever be in the Oscar conversation, Australian transgender filmmaker fifth feature film (all finished before he turned 20) is a microbudget holiday horror film that currently boasts an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s about a true crime podcaster and transwoman named Lola, who faces the vengeful ghost of an infamous murderer in her hometown during her first holiday visit since running away and transitioning. Mackay’s films have been fan favorites on the streaming app Shudder for years, and she’s a promising young talent who just keeps getting better with each new feature. “Carnage for Christmas” is his best film yet, but that will only be true until his next film comes out.

The record standard for “Emilia Pérez” as an international release was also praised for the film’s “groundbreaking” subject matter. Yet not only does a Spanish-language transgender musical already exist (2005’s 20 Centimeters), it’s not the only non-American trans film released in 2024. Levan Akin’s ‘Crossing’ has been criminally underrated , although he won the prize. Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Guadalajara International Film Festival. The story centers on a retired teacher searching for her long-lost niece, who ends up in Istanbul where she meets a lawyer named Evrim who fights for transgender rights. It currently has a score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its portrayal of trans people and life in Istanbul.

2024 also marked the feature film debut of activist and drag artist Amrou Al-Kadhi with “Layla”, the story of a struggling non-binary British-Palestinian drag artist who hides his vulnerabilities and desperate desire to ‘love and approval behind the confidence of his drag character. It’s admittedly a bit uneven from a narrative standpoint, but the lead performances from Bilal Hasna as Layla and Louis Greatorex as Max are so captivating that it really doesn’t matter. “Layla” also isn’t afraid to delve into intercommunal conflict, something most mainstream LGBTQIA+ films avoid for fear that it will provide ammunition for the worst people on the planet.

The independent film circuit is home to the majority of films about or directed by creatives from marginalized communities, and it was chock full of killer projects telling trans stories in 2024. Most notably, Vera Drew’s superhero satire “The People’s Joker ” played to a sold-out audience. theaters across the country as she took her twisted takedown of corporate comedy (and treating intellectual property like sacred cows) on tour, with audiences full of people in clown makeup.

And then there’s the transgressive brilliance of Louise Weard’s “Castration Movie Anthology i. Traps,” a film that absolutely zero interest appealing to a stuffy cis audience or playing the game of respectability politics, and the result is a raw epic spanning four and a half hours. The story follows a trans sex worker named Michaela “Traps” Sinclair, who seeks an orchiectomy in an alley between seeing clients and spending time with her friends. The film also features Vera Drew and Alice Maio Mackay in supporting roles, and we love seeing trans filmmakers help other trans filmmakers bring their vision to life!

Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions” might be the only COVID-19 quarantine comedy that isn’t embarrassing: a fascinating chamber piece about people essentially trapped in one place, starring a character played by John Early who wants nothing to do with others. people but is stuck with them due to safety regulations. Hammel’s sense of humor is so sharp and his delivery so perfect that when another character asks him, “But did you always know you were a woman?” she can respond with, “No, no one feels that way. I wanted to kill myself and it helped, in a way,” and the audience wants to howl with laughter instead of calling someone for a wellness check. be.

Also painfully underrated was photographer Luke Gilford’s debut feature, “National Anthem,” the story of a construction worker who joins a community of queer rodeo performers in the American Southwest. Eve Lindley absolutely dazzles as Sky, and the image of her carrying the American flag and shredding Daisy Dukes on horseback with her hair blowing in the wind argues for one of the best images in any movie in 2024.

There has never been a shortage of trans stories in the documentary space, but 2024 was a banner year for them. The most famous is “Will & Harper,” the documentary about Will Ferrell and comedian Harper Steele traveling across the country to keep Harper safe as she revisits diving spots in red states, while the two men learn what their relationship might look like. Before. “Will & Harper” is a trans film perfect for cisgender audiences and a touching look at friendship through the lens of one of America’s most famous faces.

Internationally, there was also “Reas,” a hybrid documentary in which former prisoners from Buenos Aires reenact their lives and stories through flashy musical numbers. Some of the former inmates are trans and some are cis, but all are showcases of resilience, hope and limitless possibilities for imagination, even in the most difficult circumstances.

But for my money, the “trans doc” of the year was Sav Rodgers’ “Chasing Chasing Amy”; part journey of self-discovery, part film history lesson, and part examination of how films have the power to fundamentally change us. Kevin Smith’s ’90s romantic comedy “Chasing Amy” was initially hailed as groundbreaking for its frank portrayal of homosexuality, but has since been criticized as “poorly aged” and even *gasp* problematic, but that didn’t stop it from being one of the most memorable films of Rodgers’ childhood. Sav is also the founder and executive director of the Transgender Film Center, with “Chasing Chasing Amy” as his first feature film.

All of this is to say that Oscar nominations are cool, but they don’t necessarily reflect quality or importance. Please don’t let these other incredible trans films get lost in time in favor of a film that has been overwhelmingly rejected by the communities it claims to represent.