Outrage as 'Emilia Perez' wins 4 Golden Globes including Best Picture: ‘Absolutely out of touch’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Emilia Perez' — the audacious Spanish-language musical crime drama that’s also France’s Oscar contender — had a night to remember at the 2025 Golden Globes.

The film not only snagged the coveted Best Picture – Musical or Comedy award but also dominated the evening with a total of four wins, cementing its place in this year’s Best Picture Oscar race.

Written and directed by Jacques Audiard, the Netflix-backed film picked up Best Non-English-Language Motion Picture and Best Original Song early in the night — following Zoe Saldana’s win for Best Supporting Female Actor in a Motion Picture. The much-talked-about movie came into the show with a leading 10 nominations, and it clearly didn’t disappoint.

Historic moment for Karla Sofia Gascon

The night’s biggest moment came when 'Emilia Perez' was announced as the final winner of the evening. Karla Sofia Gascon, who portrays the powerful cartel leader Emilia, made history as the first openly trans woman nominated for a Golden Globe.

Draped in colors reminiscent of a Buddhist robe, Gascon began: “I have a lot of things to say." She then explained her choice of outfit by saying, “The light always wins over darkness.”

She chose her words carefully in English. “Maybe you can put us in jail. You can beat us up. But you never can take away our soul, our resistance, our identity. And I want to say, I won. I am who I am, not who you want me to be," she added.

The film centers on Emilia’s journey to live authentically as her true self. The story follows Emilia as she enlists the help of Rita (Zoe Saldana) — an overlooked lawyer stuck in a dead-end job — to fake her death. The movie premiered at Cannes, where it earned rave reviews, and features a star-studded cast including Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Edgar Ramírez.

The film’s Cannes debut was also a triumph, with Gascon, Saldana, Gomez, and Paz sharing the Best Actress prize—a rare win that cemented its status as a critical darling.

Backlash over 'Emilia Perez's win

Despite its Golden Globes success, 'Emilia Perez' hasn’t won over everyone. Social media was inundated with critics questioning its victory, particularly over stiff competition like 'Wicked' and 'The Substance'.

"How did Emilia Perez win best motion picture musical over Wicked?! #GoldenGlobes," one posted on X.

"So you are telling me that the voting body for the Golden Globes thought Emilia Perez was a better musical than Wicked? #GoldenGlobes," another asked.

"I figured Wicked won to give another film a shot, like Barbie & Poor Things last year but EMILIA PEREZ? Over The Substance?" a user wondered.

"Emilia Perez winning after the French director said he didn’t care about doing research on Mexican culture…. okay," read a comment.

"Emilia Pérez, a film about a drug cartel boss "transitioning" into a woman, just won Best Picture at the Golden Globes. Hollywood continues to be absolutely out of touch with America," someone else offered.

"We’re actually witnessing history this awards season tbh. we may never see a film as dog***t as Emilia Perez win awards. This is a generational delusion from voting committees that we may never see again," another fumed.

Regardless, 'Emilia Perez' has been an undeniable force this awards season. It racked up 10 Critics Choice Awards nominations, was crowned Best Picture at the European Film Awards, and even secured a spot in the AFI Awards Top 10 Films of the Year.

Netflix gave the film a limited theatrical release before it hit the streamer on November 13, Deadline reported.

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