French filmmaker Jacques Audiard has faced harsh criticism from Mexicans for his seemingly ignorant comments about the cultural significance of Emilia Perez. Despite Audiard’s claims that his goal was to “generate dialogue” about Mexico’s “invisible” crisis of mass disappearances, many have condemned the film as a gross appropriation and misrepresentation of the country’s ongoing tragedy.
Audiard’s assertion that he “didn’t do much research on Mexico” and felt he “knew enough about the country” to depict its devastating reality through the lens of an “exaggerated” musical melodrama has been widely condemned as ignorant and disrespectful.
Furthermore, the decision to cast non-Mexican actors, including Spanish trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón in the lead role, further compounds concerns about the film’s authenticity and cultural sensitivity.
At the prestigious 77th Cannes Film Festival, the film secured the Jury Prize, a testament to its artistic merit that transcends the heated debates about cultural representation.
At the center of this acclaim is Gascon, whose performance has been widely praised and has positioned her as a potential historic Oscar contender. Gascon’s Best Actress win at Cannes further underscores the film’s artistic achievements, even as critics continue to challenge its portrayal of Mexican social realities and the director’s problematic commentary about language and culture.
In this context, the awards represent a complex narrative—a recognition of artistic ambition and performance, yet simultaneously, a reminder of the ongoing conversations about authentic representation and cultural sensitivity in cinema.
However, the controversy surrounding Emilia Perez has highlighted the broader issue of cultural appropriation in the film industry. Many Mexicans feel that the film’s director, a French filmmaker, has no right to tell their country’s story, especially in a manner that they perceive as disrespectful and inauthentic.
Rather than elevating the voices and stories of those directly impacted by Mexico’s crisis, the film exploits the tragedy for its own dramatic, accolade-seeking purposes, leaving many Mexicans feeling deeply disrespected after viewing it.
As Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto noted, everything about Emilia Perez seems “inauthentic.” The performance of the sole Mexican actress, Adriana Paz, broke down in tears at a press conference while recounting her own harrowing experience of being kidnapped.
The raw emotion erupted during the press conference when Paz, portraying a widow of a cartel victim, dissolved into tears—a moment that exposed the deep, unresolved pain underlying the film’s narrative. Her breakdown was more than a personal breakdown: it was a haunting testament to the film’s superficial treatment of Mexico’s humanitarian crisis, where the profound suffering of families torn apart by violence becomes a mere dramatic backdrop.
Her personal history of kidnapping—a reality shared by countless Mexican families—starkly contrasts with the film’s seemingly performative approach to storytelling. This suggests that Emilia Perez risks turning genuine, systemic tragedy into a stylized, palatable narrative for international audiences. This reveals the potential of diminishing the real human cost of Mexico’s ongoing struggles with cartel violence and disappearances.
Cecilia Gonzalez, a Mexican journalist, pulls no punches in her assessment. She brands Emilia Perez as a catastrophic representation that embodies “stereotypes, ignorance, and lack of respect.” This is a damning indictment that speaks to the film’s exploitative nature of the devastating realities of Mexico’s systemic social and security crisis.
Their collective criticism illuminates a fundamental problem: a foreign filmmaker’s superficial and potentially harmful interpretation of a deeply subtle cultural landscape. This is where the pain of mass disappearances and cartel violence is reduced to melodramatic spectacle rather than treated with the profound respect it demands.
Moving forward, the film industry must embrace a more nuanced approach to cross-cultural storytelling. This requires centering the voices of those whose experiences are depicted, prioritizing authentic representation, and challenging the colonial gaze that has long dominated international cinema.
True artistic empathy cannot be achieved through superficial research or performative allyship but through genuine dialogue, respect, and a willingness to cede narrative control to those with lived experiences.
This systemic problem extends beyond the choices of a single director. It is instead embedded within the broader power structures and cultural biases that shape the film industry.
The story of Emilia Perez is ultimately a call to action: to listen, to challenge, and to reimagine how stories are told across cultural boundaries.
