“One cannot turn the Oscar into the objective of one’s life,” said French filmmaker Jacques Audiard about his nomination for his film Emilia Pérez In the direction, best film and best international film in the awards ceremony of the American Academy.
“However, I feel very flattered,” he continues. The Oscar awards, such as the César in France, are awards that the community decides, colleagues, our peers, and in that sense it moves me very much that they are thinking about our work. For me, prizes are always love tests. ”
Emilia Pérez, The film about a Mexican drug trafficker who decides to change sex, has unleashed controversy in Mexico because it also addresses the issue of victims of forced disappearances in the second half of the plot.
Is there anything exotic in this for what was attracted to? Is it a matter of cultural appropriation? What attracted a French director to direct a film about drug trafficking and trans women? He asked Audiard, winner of the Golden Palm of Cannes in 2015 by Dheeepan and twice recognized with the jury award of that festival (one of them for Emilia Pérez).
“I discovered Mexico around from 75, 76, when I was about 24 years old, I know it because at that time I had hair. And well since then I have returned many times. For me, that first time was a great impression and I fell in love with Mexico. ”
He was captivated by the “lovely melancholy that people have”, the incredible landscapes and the dynamic cities. “And I said: ‘Someday I’m going to do something in this country.’ And several decades later I wrote something that had to do with Mexico and it was an opera libretto, an opera in four acts. ”
But he looked for an adequate way to address it. “Having some knowledge of the tensions that sometimes happen here in Mexico, it seemed to me that the best way to talk about all this was not a documentary, nor a fiction in the usual sense of the term, but that we had to go through the song . I believe that sometimes, to talk about the tragedy, the song reaches the heart with greater power and faster. And I also wanted to do this opera in Spanish. ”
Indeed, a good part of the film is spoken in Spanish, including the participations of the Dominican Zoe Saldaña and the American of Latin origin Selena Gomez. The latter has been the target of teasing and criticism for its pronunciation.
As for the issue of the missing, Jacques Audiard has said that he included it in Emilia Pérez Because it is scandalized. “It is a drama that you are living, unfortunately, and something that surprises me is that in France you do not talk about this. And I wanted to talk about this theme, with all possible delicacy, with all possible modesty, and, above all, with empathy because of course I knew that you Mexicans one day would see the movie, in fact I wanted it , of course”.
And addressed the issue only in the way he believed possible: “With all possible prudence and with a lot of reflection. And if you see the movie, you will not find out anything new as Mexicans and you will seem that I am only overwhelming this issue. And if I think I do it too lightly, I offer them an apology. But I must tell you that outside Mexico it surprises me a lot, I am shocked, the silence around this problem. And I do not think that the cinema solves these things, but seeing this movie in the cinema, you can ask some questions, the best questions can raise conversations, discussions. If that happens, it will make me happy. ”
During his visit to Mexico, Jacques Audiard was also questioned for not including Mexican actresses (except Adriana Paz) in the main roles (Selena Gomez is American, Zoe Saldaña Dominicana, but with a long career in Hollywood and Karla Sofía Gascón is Spanish ).
He explained: “The casting was long, but at one point, forgive me for the vulgar, but a matter of money was imposed. And at one point, I decided on actresses who had a certain popularity. Here there is a lot of talent, the question that was imposed here was how to finance my movie. And well later I met Karla Sofia, suddenly I knew she was her, suddenly I had this feeling with Zoe Saldaña. And then I thought: Well, after all, Mexico is a country with enormous population diversity, so why not also play with that? ”
Emilia Pérez It premieres this January 23.
*Javier Pérez He reports, chronicle and interview, as well as film critic and coverage of cultural issues. Directs Hole. Nobody wants to accompany him to the cinema: he does not stop eating popcorn or talking about anything else.
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