The story of Netflix’s award season flop. The reasons why no one likes Emilia Perez.
Today people view the world differently because of social media’s selective insight. Algorithms deny and apply facts to us individually, creating subgroups, invested in sub histories. Where one ‘bubble’ is angered by “‘gender ideology’ infiltrating” film, trans advocates bash Emilia Perez for it dehumanizing transgender experiences.
Internet ‘surfing’ was a meandering experience people had during the early days of the web. It was initially created to decentralize communications between the US government’s, military and its agencies. Then, it was sectioned out for commercial use by providing internet service, then browsing websites sponsored by mega companies. Until it became more accessible thanks to consumer protection. Eventually advertising and marketing strategists, the NSA, FBI and so on -- hit a vein (the mining term). With the combination of personal information, influence on knowledge, and access to our attention. What could have been a tool to grant each other greater social and cultural connection. Has instead been twisted into a grift for our data. Our interactions became profitable – then came hate, fear and hope on repeat.
Immersion helps to recreate an event for an audience, by grounding it. When your friend speaks with their “gremlin” voice, during a DND campaign that increases immersion. Online, peddlers of misinformation provide ‘legitimacy’ and thus immersion for followers of an exclusionary ‘campaign’. Then that is reinforced with ‘evidence’ on their feed, or ‘timeline’. Similarly, moments with loved ones immerse you in the real world by creating shared experiences.
Emilia Perez (2024) and the online ‘takes’ surrounding the films controversial portrayal, of a trans woman, heading the cartel (of all things) is an example of alternate history. Netflix the creators of this film, compelling ‘people-based’ pieces, hateful comedy shows, and revisionary documentaries. Reveal the nature of interaction-based schemes. Its profit model lacks integrity, a ‘mission’ or ethics code.
Having not seen the film. The trailer features a fully bandaged face of Emilia, the movie’s namesake. On a bed in a rundown hospital, resembling a lab. The clips show a doctor and trailer narrator, giving us a glimpse into ‘what’ transitioning and affirmation surgery is like. Only he doesn’t really. No experts or doctors contributed to this film. The only trans person on set, Emilia Perez’s actor Karla Sofía Gascón, did not speak on its inaccurate representation. When considering the broadness of what ‘transition’ or gender expression means the movie goes for a ‘dramatization’. Seemingly, filmmaker Jacques Audiard had to tell this story – but why?
From my standpoint it was to capture favor from everyone. Netflix pushed it for the award season. Showing the devious cards, at play. With low audience reviews, under 2 stars on Letterboxed the truth becomes clearer. Netflix miss calculated. Right? Maybe. The discourse suggests a divergence for Netflix. They failed to read the room. (Data is the room.)
The movie and Netflix wanted this to be an important film, their trendy choices make that obvious. They wanted the people ‘between’ the extremes of fairness and exclusion tuning in. So, the story pretends to understand trans people, by vilifying them, but sarcastically. Think Family Guy. It is dumb but gets attention. I mean, I am writing about it having not watched it (out of protest). That is the point too. This is why blockbusters today fall flat. Technology, through its use of our data, diminished the integrity of corporate focus. Social media gains because it will recycle this topic as commentary podcasts, articles, posts and interactions of disdain, hate and fear. Based on a stereotype of ‘transness’ that rhetoric online instills and concentrates. It becomes a part of immersion. While the group being subjugated (trans people) push for organization and community on the same websites. In a way creating a timeline of friends with shared experiences, as opposed to gremlins selling you a fictional reality.