7. Emilia Pérez

If this was a month ago, when Emilia Pérez received the most Oscar nominations of any film weeks after winning Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes, the Jacques Audiard-directed musical crime film would’ve been the leading candidate for the Best Picture award at the Oscars. Unfortunately, Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the titular drug kingpin who goes through gender-affirming surgery, has caused a storm of controversy that has overshadowed any of the film’s achievements. Her racist and derogatory past tweets about Muslims and George Floyd have become so entwined with the identity of the film that the actress hasn’t been part of any of the Oscar campaign for the film. Meanwhile, back at Cannes, the film’s director referred to Spanish as “the language of developing countries, of modest countries, of poor people and migrants,” and the film itself had been derided by critics as overtly racist and transphobic. And it’s a shame because there are aspects of it that are worth appreciating.

Zoe Saldana delivers a career-defining portrayal as Rita Mora Castro, the lawyer who helps Emilia get the surgery she desires after years of gender dysphoria. The film dazzles with musical numbers and culminates in a tragic ending that underscores its unvarnished look at how hard it is to escape your history. But those elements seem destined to be overshadowed by issues both within the film, and surrounding it.