A THING OF BEAUTY

With a host of awards already in the bag and praise from Hollywood's elite, Emilia Pérez is one of this season's stand-out films

- ALULUTHO GUZANA

AT A glance it seems an unlikely contender to make waves during Hollywood award season – a musical crime drama about a transgender Mexican mob boss told in Spanish with the characters occasionally breaking into song and dance.

And yet Emilia Pérez, which stars Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoë Saldaña and Selena Gomez, has emerged as one of the year's frontrunners.

It made history when it scored a record 10 nominations at the recent Golden Globes, eventually winning four awards: Best Supporting Actress for Zoë, Best Foreign Film, Best Theme Tune, and Best Musical or Comedy.

Now everyone is waiting to see how many more awards it rakes in – and whether those will include an Oscar.

Industry insiders have praised the film for its bold storytelling.

“It blew me away. I’ve seen it three times,” says James Cameron, director of movies such as Titanic and Avatar. “It’s not like any other film that’s ever been made. It’s bold, it’s daring. It’s a beautiful piece of filmmaking.”

Actress Emily Blunt was also in raptures after seeing it. “I just couldn’t believe what I was watching. You can’t call it a musical ... it’s a completely singular experience,” she says.

But not everyone is a fan of director Jacques Audiard’s much-talked-about movie. Online critics have lambasted it for not portraying its subject matter in an authentic light – everything from the treatment of the transgender lead character, the negative depiction of Mexico and the use of foreign actors has been drawing ire.

But Jacques isn’t fazed by the criticism. “In these troubled times, I hope Emilia Pérez will be a beacon of light,” he said during his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes.