The director of the award-winning musical about a trans cartel boss has said the film isn’t intended to be realistic, but he is sorry if things in it ‘seem shocking’

A Spanish-language musical about a cartel boss who transitions to a woman, starring transgender actor Karla Sofía Gascón opposite Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez premiered in Mexico City on Wednesday before its Mexican release on 23 January.

Speaking to CNN, Audiard suggested the film was an “opera” and therefore not “realistic”, adding: “If there are things that seem shocking in Emilia Pérez then I am sorry … Cinema doesn’t provide answers, it only asks questions. But maybe the questions in Emilia Pérez are incorrect.”

Emilia Pérez has also attracted criticism for the portrayal of its central character. The LGBTQ+ advocacy group Glaad called it “a profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman”.

However Audiard has been defended by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, who described him as “one of the most amazing film-makers alive today”, while Gascón, who is Spanish, said on social media: “It’s a pity that [critics] use so many profiles to (uselessly) attack a film with such a beautiful message and representation, instead of using them to support Mexican films and creators.”

Audiard is one of France’s most acclaimed directors, whose prize-winning films include The Beat That My Heart Skipped, A Prophet and Rust and Bone. He won the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2015 for Dheepan, a study of Sri Lankan immigrants in the Paris suburbs.

Emilia Pérez has performed strongly during the current awards season, winning four Golden Globes including for best musical or comedy film, and securing 10 Bafta nominations. Saldaña is widely expected to win the Oscar for best supporting actress, and Gascón is expected to be the first out trans actor to be nominated for best actress.

Source: www.theguardian.com