This Marvel Actress Just Gave My Favorite Performance of the Year in a Non-Marvel Movie—& She Deserves an Oscar

If you’re anything like me, then you probably saw Zoe Saldaña's emotional speech after she won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture at the Golden Globes this weekend. If you’re also like me, then you probably hadn’t seen Emilia Pérez prior to the awards, and decided to give it a watch after seeing the film take home multiple trophies.

Now, I’m not the biggest fan of musicals, but Emilia Pérez was a pleasant surprise, primarily because of its ingenious casting. The plot? A Mexican cartel leader contacts a lawyer (Saldaña), with the hopes of transitioning to a woman. Along the way, there are tons of original songs and glamorous dancing as the former kingpin goes through the process of completing the procedure, and successfully begins a new life as Emilia Pérez.

That's when the drama really kicks in. Four years after the procedure, Emilia decides to re-enter her partner and children’s lives without revealing who she really is in relation to them, which ultimately leads to trauma and tragedy. And while the twists and turns kept me fully entertained, it was Saldaña’s riveting performance that stood out most.

Saldaña's well-deserved Golden Globes win was an emotional moment for her. “My heart is full of gratitude,” she told the audience during her acceptance speech.  “Thank you so much to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film and honoring the women of Emilia Pérez. I’m so blessed that I’m sharing this moment with [Selena Gomez] and [Karla Sofía Gascón] and [director Jacques Audiard] and all of my fellow nominees,” she added.

Now, I'm not an Academy Award voter, but Zoe Saldaña still has my vote for “Best Supporting Actress” at this year’s Oscars.

Watch Emilia Pérez now on Netflix.

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