Up until last week, “Emilia Pérez” looked like a narrow Oscar frontrunner, in part because of its political resonances. Sure, the character of Emilia — played by Karla Sofía Gascón — did not become a better person after transitioning (in fact, her cruelty drives the action of the film up until the final scene). But a viewer in a generous frame of mind can see in the mere fact of Emilia’s transition, and the project she puts her cartel-obtained resources toward afterward — on top of Gascón’s presence as a pathbreaking trans Oscar nominee — as a rebuke to the politics of prejudice emanating from President Donald Trump.
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