Why the Oscars are wrong with regard to Emilia Pérez (and what they should definitely watch)

The polarizing person, however, somehow The industry favorite “Emilia Pérez” has secured 13 Oscar nominations and thus sets the record for most nominations of an international film. The Spanish-speaking French musical thriller, written and staged by Jacques Audiard, is also connected to “blown away by the wind”, “The Lord of the Rings: The Wälts”, “Forrest Gump” and “Oppenheimer”. For the second most Oscar nominations of all time. /Film’s Jeremy Mathai called the film “a swing and a miss” and with a ratio of 32 % Lazy tomatoesHe is certainly not the only one who thinks that the film was a real eye -catcher.

Suppose you are someone who loved the film. In this case, I’m not here to tell someone what to think of a work of art. But in view of the legitimate criticism that was expressed against the film in relation to both His trans display And his representation of Mexican cultureIt is extremely disappointing to see how many academy voters have completely lost contact and clearly vote for the guise of performative progress, what “Emilia Pérez” symbolizedInstead of leaving the leadership represented in the film and deciding whether it is a representation that deserves to be celebrated.

“Emilia Pérez” won the prize of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival and received a lot of critical praise, but the overwhelming majority of this was written by Cisgenden critics. The more trans- and queer critics saw the film, the more obvious the problems became. HAPPY I even called the film a “deeply step -down representation of a trans woman”, an opinion that I share. But those who love the film continue to celebrate it as “progress” and point out that the nomination of Karla Sofia Gascón as the best leading actress is a historical premiere for transgender actors all over the world (although it is queer and transsexual critics implied). Those who didn’t like their film were “stupid”). But who can dictate what “progress” looks like: the well-meaning CIS people who desperately try to prove that they are not transphob by starting a regressive mess, or the actual LGBTQIA+community that has always spoken out against it . The notorious song clip “From Penis to Vaginaaaaaa” got around on social media?

Honestly, I don’t want to say any further words when I talk about “Emilia Pérez”, because as much as I complain in an article will not change the nominations. Instead, I would like to highlight the incredible list of trans-films that came out in 2024 and earn their time.

Although “I Saw the TV Glow” was not Jane Schoenbruns first film, they came with their second feature film about two friends named Owen and Maddy, whose obsession with a TV show called “The Pink Opaque” opens a supernatural world that reflects their own , really to the point of what Owen’s perception of reality and identity shakes. It wasn’t just celebrated One of the best horror films of the year But one of the best films of the year, point. If the academy really wanted to highlight a trans-film this year, why not the haunting and poetic examination of the “Egg Crack” experience that was actually written and staged by a trans person? “I saw the TV Glow” was such a monumental achievement in the transgender cinema that the message “It is still time” inspired many people to finally accept the truth about themselves And as a transgender out. I can’t say that “Emilia Pérez” had the same effect.

And although it is doubtful that “Carnage for Christmas” by Alice Maio Mackay would ever be in conversation about the Oscar ceremony, the statement by the Australian transgender filmmaker is Fifth feature film (everything completed before it became 20) is a holiday horror film with microbudget that is currently with one 89 % on Rotten Tomatoes. It is about a True-Crime-Podcasterin and detective transformer named Lola, who has faced the vengeful spirit of a notorious murderer when she was visited and transition in her hometown. Mackay’s films are among the favorites of the fans In the shudder streaming app For years she has been a promising young talent that is getting better and better with every new feature. “Carnage for Christmas” is her best film so far, but it will only stay that way until she releases her next film.

The record standard for “Emilia Pérez” as an international publication was also praised for the “groundbreaking” topic of the film. But there is not only a Spanish-language transgender musical (“20 centimeters” from 2005), but it was also not the only non-American transgender film that came to cinemas in 2024. Levan Akin’s “Crossing” remained underestimated, although he won the film’s price at the International Film Festival Berlin and the International Film Festival Guadalajara. The focus of history is a retired teacher who is looking for her long-lost niece and finally ends up in Istanbul, where she meets a lawyer named Evrim who fights for transgender rights. It currently has one 97 % on Rotten TomatoesCritics praised the representation of transience and life in Istanbul.

In 2024, the director’s debut of the activist and drag actor Amrou al-Kadhi also marked with “Layla”, the history of a fighting non-binary British-Palestinian drag actor, which was his vulnerability and desperate desire for love and recognition behind the self-confidence of himself hides drag persona. From a narrative point of view, it is admittedly a bit inconsistent, but the main performances by Bilal Hasna as Layla and Louis Greatatorex as Max are so captivating that it actually doesn’t matter. “Layla” is also not afraid to plunge into a conflict between the communities, something that most mainstream-LGBTQIA+films avoid out of fear that it would deliver the absolutely worst person on the planet ammunition.

The independent film sector is home to most films or produced by creative people from marginalized communities, and there is teeming with killer projects in 2024. Above all Vera Drew’s superhero satire “The People’s Joker” Played in sold-out cinemas across the country, while she went on tour with her crazy version of the corporate comedy (and the treatment of intellectual property like Holy Cows), in front of an audience full of people who carried clown make-up.

And then there is the transgressive brilliance of Louise Weatard’s “Castration Movie Anthology I. Traps ”, a film that is absolutely convincing Zero interest It is about addressing a bourgeois CIS audience or playing the game of seriousness policy, and the result is a raw epic that extends over four and a half hours. The story is about a transsexual sex worker named Michaela “Traps” Sinclair, who strives for an orchiectomy in a background between meeting with customers and hanging with her friends. In the film, Vera Drew and Alice Maio Mackay can also be seen in supporting roles, and we love to see how trans-filmmakers help other trans filmmakers to bring their vision to life!

Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions” may be the only Covid 19 comedy from the quarantine period that is not embarrassing: a fascinating chamber game about people who are essentially caught in one place with a figure played by John Early, which nothing Want to have people to do with others, but for security reasons stick to them. Hammel’s sense of humor is so sharp and her performance is so perfect that another figure asks her: “But you always knew that you are a woman?” She can answer: “No, nobody thinks that way. I wanted to kill myself and that somehow helped ”and the audience wants to howl laughing instead of calling someone to a health check.

The feature film debut of photographer Luke Gilford, “National Anthem”, was also painfully underestimated, the history of a construction worker who joined a community of Queer Rodeo actors in the American southwest. As a Sky, Eve Lindley is absolutely stunning, and the picture of her with the American flag and tattered Daisy Dukes on horseback while her hair is blowing in the wind, speaks for one of the best pictures of all films in 2024.

It never lacked translets in the documentary area, but in 2024 a record year was for her. The best known is “Will & Harper”, the road trip documentary about Will Ferrell and the comedy author Harper Steele, who travel through the country to bring Harper to safety while visiting diving sites in red states while the two experience how your relationship could look forward. “Will & Harper” is a perfect entry-level trans-film for a cisgender audience And a touching look at friendship through the lens of one of the most famous faces in America.

At the international level there was also “Reas”, a documentary film hybrid, in which former prisoners from Buenos Aires play their lives and stories through striking music numbers. Some of the ex-prisoners are transsexuals and some CIS, but they are all examples of resistance, hope and the limitless possibilities of imagination, even under the most difficult circumstances.

But for my money, “Chasing Chasing Amy” by SAV Rodgers was the “trans doctor” of the year; Partly a journey of self -discovery, partly film history lessons and partly examination of the way in which films have the power to fundamentally change us. Kevin Smith’s love comedy “Chasing Amy” from the 90s was initially celebrated as groundbreaking because of her open representation of Queenness, but has been criticized since then as “badly aged” and even * holes. problematic, But that didn’t prevent him from becoming one of the most impressive films from Rodgers’ childhood. SAV is also the founder and managing director of the Transgender Film Center, with “Chasing Chasing Amy” being his first feature film.

This means that Oscar nominations are cool, but they do not necessarily reflect quality or meaning. Please do not allow these other incredible trans-films to be lost in favor of a film, which was rejected by the communities, which he allegedly represented, with an overwhelming majority.