You’ve probably seen the headlines or the TikTok clips of that one "vaginoplasty" song. Maybe you’re just wondering if the film that basically took over your Netflix feed actually walked away with the hardware. Emilia Pérez went into the 97th Academy Awards with the kind of momentum that makes Hollywood executives sweat. It was the "it" movie. It was the divisive movie. It was the movie that had everyone from James Cameron to the local film critic at each other's throats.
So, let's cut to the chase: Emilia Pérez won two Oscars. Two. That’s it. For a film that walked into the Dolby Theatre with a staggering 13 nominations, coming out with just two trophies feels like a bit of a cold shower. It actually set a record, but not the kind you necessarily want. It’s now one of the most-nominated films in history to have such a low conversion rate, even surpassing the "ouch" factor of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
The Breakdown of the Wins
When the dust settled on March 2, 2025, the film took home two specific statues. Honestly, these were the ones most people saw coming, even if the "Best Picture" hype was at a fever pitch.
- Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña.
This was a massive moment. Saldaña has been the queen of the box office for years (shoutout to Avatar and Marvel), but she’s rarely been the center of the "prestige" conversation. In Emilia Pérez, she plays Rita, the lawyer who facilitates the cartel boss’s transition. Her win was widely seen as a career achievement award as much as it was for this specific, high-energy performance. - Best Original Song: "El Mal."
Written by Camille and Clément Ducol. If you’ve heard the soundtrack, this is the one that sticks. It’s aggressive, it’s operatic, and it’s undeniably catchy in a dark way. It beat out some heavy hitters, including a track from Wicked, which had a lot of fans pretty annoyed on social media.
The 13 Nominations vs. The Reality
It’s kinda wild to think about. 13 nominations. That put it in the same rarified air as Titanic or La La Land. It was nominated for the big ones: Best Picture, Best Director (Jacques Audiard), and Best Actress (Karla Sofía Gascón). Gascón’s nomination was historic—she was the first openly trans woman to be nominated in a lead acting category.
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But then the night started. And Anora happened.
Sean Baker’s Anora ended up being the "big winner" of the night, taking five awards including Best Picture and Best Actress for Mikey Madison. While Emilia Pérez was leading the count going in, it felt like the Academy’s "international" vote got split. You had I’m Still Here from Brazil winning Best International Feature, which was a huge upset because many experts thought Emilia Pérez (representing France, despite being in Spanish) had that one in the bag.
Where did it "lose"?
The film was everywhere. It was in the tech categories like Sound, Editing, and Cinematography. It was in the screenplay category. But in almost every instance, it ran into a wall.
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- Best International Feature: Lost to I'm Still Here.
- Best Actress: Karla Sofía Gascón lost to Mikey Madison.
- Best Director: Jacques Audiard lost to Sean Baker.
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Lost to The Substance.
Why was it so divisive?
If you spent any time on Film Twitter (or whatever we're calling it now), you know this movie wasn't just a movie. It was a battleground. Some people called it a "masterpiece of human possibility." Others, including organizations like GLAAD and various Mexican film critics, weren't so kind.
The backlash was real. People pointed out that the movie was a French production, filmed on a French soundstage, with very few Mexican actors in a story set entirely in Mexico. It felt "touristy" to some. Then there was the trans representation. While Gascón was praised for her performance, the script itself—written by a cisgender man—was criticized for focusing too much on the "spectacle" of medical transition rather than the internal life of the character.
That "Penis to Vagina" song? Yeah, that didn't help. It became a meme for all the wrong reasons, and some Academy voters might have been turned off by the "camp" factor that felt a bit too close to caricature.
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The Historic "Underperformance"
Winning two Oscars is objectively a success. Most filmmakers would give a limb for one. But when you have 13 chances and you only hit two, the narrative becomes about what you didn't win.
| Movie | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Anora | 6 | 5 |
| The Brutalist | 10 | 3 |
| Emilia Pérez | 13 | 2 |
| Wicked | 10 | 2 |
As you can see, Anora was the efficient sniper of the night. Emilia Pérez was more like a shotgun blast that mostly missed the target. It’s a fascinating case study in how a movie can be the "frontrunner" for six months and then lose steam right at the finish line.
What this means for your watch list
Should you still watch it? Absolutely. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s one of the most unique things to hit a streaming service in years. It’s a neon-soaked, singing, dancing, cartel-transitioning fever dream.
Next Steps for the Film Buff:
- Watch the Wins: Check out Zoe Saldaña's performance specifically. Even critics who hated the movie generally agreed she was the glue holding it together.
- Listen to the Score: Find "El Mal" on Spotify or Apple Music. It won for a reason—the production is genuinely top-tier.
- Compare the Rivals: If you want to see why it lost, watch Anora and I’m Still Here. It gives you a great perspective on what the Academy was looking for in 2025: authenticity and grounded storytelling over "grand spectacle."
The legacy of Emilia Pérez won't be defined by the 11 Oscars it lost, but by the conversation it started. It’s a weird, bold, flawed experiment that proved Netflix can still dominate the cultural conversation, even if they can’t always sweep the awards.