Emilia Perez may have won a Golden Globe, but there’s plenty wrong with it

**Disclaimer: This article contains the author's opinions on Emilia Perez. Reader's discretion is advised.**

Emilia Perez, a movie about the tangled world of Mexican cartels and personal identity, has now scored a Golden Globe, but the buzz around it is all over the place. Directed by French director Jacques Audiard, with Zoe Saldaña leading the cast, it's a movie that's got everyone talking.

Zoe even snagged the award for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes in January 2025. But the reaction to this win is anything but everyone agreeing. It's stirred up a debate on the internet about how well the movie captures Mexican culture. Some say the acting and the way it looks are top-notch, but others think it's just using the same old clichés.

A thread on X (formerly Twitter) shows people have mixed feelings. Some liked how the movie zoomed in on cartel life. Others weren't so sure we needed another story about that. Zoe Saldaña's decision to use a Mexican accent when she accepted her award had people talking too. It got everyone questioning whether it's okay to do that and if it's respectful to the culture or not.

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Let's take a closer look at the main reasons why Emilia Perez is a triumph in the world of movies and why people have strong opinions about it.

Was Zoe Saldaña’s role in Emilia Perez a cultural misstep?

Zoe Saldaña's acting as Emilia Perez, a transgender woman who gets away from a cartel, has gotten good feedback because it's touching. People have noticed how hard she worked to get into the character. But when she won a Golden Globe and talked in a Mexican accent to thank everyone, that's when some folks on the internet had different things to say.

One X user, @offthetableag shared a bit of her speech with a comment:

“Zoe Saldaña tries a Mexican accent in her winning speech in the best supporting actress category.”

The post got people talking, with some giving her a pat on the back for trying to fit in with the culture, but others thought it was totally out of touch.

Plus, the debate about whether Saldaña was the best pick for the role came up again. Some folks felt like having a Mexican actor would've made the movie feel way more real.

Is romanticizing the cartel narrative an overused trope?

Emilia Perez looks into the world of cartels, which is something you see a lot in movies about Mexico. The movie tries hard to make you feel for the lead, but critics think it just shows us the stereotypes we've seen too many times.

“I’m American with Mexican-born parents. Loved the movie… Yes, it’s overused and romanticized, but it’s still a movie,” wrote @PanduhBear89.

This shows that people had mixed feelings about the movie. Some liked how it told the story, but others were tired of seeing the same old thing about cartels every time Hollywood tries to show us what Mexico is all about. Emilia Perez got some flak for not looking at the bigger picture of Mexican life.

After watching gems like Roma and Coco that gave us a more personal look at Mexico, people were hoping for something similar from this one. But it mostly stuck to the usual, over-the-top gangster stuff, which didn't sit well with everyone. It seems like a missed opportunity to some.

Polarized reactions to Emilia Perez on social media

The buzz about Emilia Perez picked up steam on X, with folks posting all sorts of opinions. Some were focused on the cartel. But then you had people like @LilKittyZoey who weren't so keen on it, calling it a bit too same old, same old.

They said,

“So basically Selena Gomez… no need for all that thread.”

@LowlyApprentice got interested because of all the chatter! They were like,

“Thanks for putting this on my radar. I had no idea this was controversial.”

This shows that the talk isn't just about the movie itself, but also about the bigger picture of what the film's themes and the way it's made say about its culture.

People have been talking about Emilia Perez, with some throwing around accusations of the film not being respectful to certain cultures and others praising Saldaña's acting for being deep and believable. It's clear that this movie has started conversations that go way beyond the screen.