Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” is an Oscar contender unlike any other. It’s a musical, a trans parable, and a Mexico-set melodrama.

"Emilia Pérez" has faced controversy and criticism for various reasons. Among the most prominent is its portrayal of Mexico. The movie’s director, Jacques Audiard, is French, and none of its three lead cast members are of Mexican descent. Only one member of the core cast, Adriana Paz, is from Mexico.

The French director's musical crime drama tells the story of Mexican cartel boss Emilia (played by Karla Sofía Gascón) who fakes death, then undergoes gender-transition surgery