Zoe Saldaña made history with her Oscar win, I just wish it was for a different movie
This year’s Academy Award ceremony is celebrating the best in movies and with that comes some history making wins. One of those wins was Zoe Saldaña’s win for her work in the film Emilia Pérez.
She became the first woman of Dominican origin to take home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and was the third Latina woman to take home the win. But she was the first to win for a film that was not West Side Story. The win comes after Saldaña has put in years of beautiful work in Hollywood. I am so proud and happy for Saldaña’s win, I just wish that it was for a better film.
Emilia Pérez is riddled with controversies. Prior to Karla Sofía Gascón’s racist tweets being resurfaced, many criticized the film for perpetuating racist stereotypes of Mexico and the Mexican people. Many in the transgender community criticized the film for its rhetoric about its central character, Emilia Pérez (played by Gasón).
All of this led to many questioning why Emilia Pérez was getting the award buzz it was. My own dislike of the movie aside, it does highlight Saldaña’s ability as a performer and while it is nice seeing her get the accolades she’s deserves and has deserved for most of her career. It is upsetting that it is for a movie that many, myself included, disliked and found offensive.
There are often movies that are nominated that confuse people. Famously Crash is labeled as the worst Oscar winner of all time. But we can still recognize someone’s performance within a project we don’t like. I do think Saldaña was great in Emilia Pérez despite my feelings on the film but I also think there are other films she should have gotten attention for.
You don’t need to watch Emilia Pérez but if you want to celebrate Saldaña’s win, may I suggest watching Star Trek Beyond or really any of her other work? She is great in this film but the rest of the bad qualities of Emilia Pérez are just too rough to get through, even if you have Saldaña’s great work to try to balance it out.
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