The casting of award-winning Emilia Perez has sparked debate over the film’s cultural authenticity. Maria Clara Santana examines the debate and language’s complex role in Latin American identity. 

Like my mother tongue Portuguese, the Spanish language is full of grammatical exceptions. Perhaps one of the most infamous is the conjugation of the verb saber (“to know”). “No se,” the correct expression of “don’t know,” is often confused as “no sabo” by less fluent speakers, assuming conjugation rules are consistent.  Frequently, these speakers are children of immigrants, a pattern that has resulted in widespread mockery, both in the real world and online.

It is not my place to shame those who have lost touch with a heritage they often feel so distant from. After all, I, too, have been a Brazilian “não sei” kid. Even now, having achieved linguistic fluency, I can’t help but feel there is a cultural touch that cannot be taught.

This was the notion that dominated my viewing experience of the highly controversial Emilia Perez, which follows a retiring drug dealer through a turbulent gender transition. Recently awarded the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, the movie has provoked widespread discourse, particularly for its representation of Mexican culture and for casting less-than-fluent 3rd-generation Latina actress Selena Gomez.

Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez echoed the sentiments of many online by calling Gomez’s Spanish “indefensible. ” However, he was heavily criticized and retracted his statements. As a Portuguese speaker who just about grasped some scenes, I would be lying if I said the actress’s Spanish did not stand out.

Much of the backlash received by Derbez emphasized how it is the very mockery he engaged in that so frequently prevents immigrant Latinos from fully learning their mother tongues. While undoubtedly true, I think these counterarguments do neglect the nuance of the specific Emilia Perez scenario. 

The movie’s French director has been open about his lack of research on Mexican culture and shot the movie in his home country, with a main cast featuring few actual Mexicans. There is something cruelly ironic about portraying the socioeconomic difficulties of a struggling community while also directly taking away opportunities from those within that community.

The cruel irony lies, too, in the statements by casting director Carla Hool. Despite citing “authenticity” as a key casting concern, Hool has come under fire for what some have considered offensive statements about Mexican artists. In a Q&A session, she expressed that, despite extensive searches across Mexico, the “best actresses” were those selected, with authenticity taking a backseat. Many Mexicans rushed to criticize her statements, pointing out what they saw as a dismissal of the countless talented actors across their country.

To me, Selena Gomez’s “no sabo” Spanish, as the internet has dubbed it, is not the core issue, as much as it is a representation of it. Unlike the verbs so many of us struggle to conjugate, this is not an exception: we are so often excluded from our own stories. Art’s beauty lies in its ability to break down cultural barriers, but it cannot do so without respecting those it portrays. No culture wants to watch itself be excluded.