Calling the film Emilia Perez or its protagonist, Karla Sofía Gascón, “controversial” is an understatement. The musical that was a hit turned into a viral sensation right at the end of the voting for all the awards. I Am Still Here could do without the “help”, but indirectly “won” with so many blunders from its direct competition. The drama behind the scenes is overwhelming and will radically change the tone of the party in March. How did this happen?

I must continue by saying that I found myself “needing” to talk about this unpleasant soap opera because I felt ashamed of “discovering” Karla Sofía Gascón‘s problems when social media turned against her and, although we often complain, in some cases the networks are relentless and… right. I don’t like the aggressiveness of X or some communities on Reddit, I make a point of isolating myself from them. There is a common habit in football where people consider it “fair” and acceptable to verbally attack fans, players, commentators, commentators, or the universe because their team lost. Anonymity only made the monsters grow, gigantic in their cowardice and proportionally tiny within their weakness disguised as strength. The problem is that, online, this pitiful mass gains strength and is always dangerous. Let’s go back to Karla Sofía.

Between 2016 and 2020, the actress used her platform for many years like everyone else: giving her opinion on sensitive topics and criticizing celebrities, politicians, and the world. The problem is that BEFORE, what people said at the bar was lost, but on social media, it is recorded and there is a wave of “online detectives” who love to collect “receipts” (the records of posts) to throw in people’s faces. When I wrote about Karla Sofía praising her, I have to admit: I didn’t go to her online account to check what she said. A huge mistake these days.

Karla Sofía has never held back from saying what she thought, and even if she changed her mind, her posts stayed there. Unfortunately, given the criticism of the film, which is fair (it’s by a French director who doesn’t speak Spanish, but it tells the story of a Mexican drug dealer, the cast is made up of American, Venezuelan, and Spanish artists, with no Mexicans to provide context, the music is ugly, etc.), the actress decided to open her mouth in an interview in Brazil to badmouth Fernanda Torres and the online harassment she was suffering. As we say here: it went wrong.

First: Fernanda Torres is a giant, she’s not an actress chasing international prestige or dazzled by the attention she’s getting. She wants and deserves the Oscar that seems to be hers, but she “played” fair and with elegance. The world doesn’t know, only we Brazilians are confident that she is the opposite of what the articles about the interview tried to make her out to be. Not even discovering the blackface scene in 2008 can undermine Fernanda’s authentic and secure position. And Karla Sofía was in trouble. Second: Fernanda apologized for her mistakes with confidence and agility to kill a malicious story before it gained momentum and Third: to seal the deal? She asked Karla Sofía for support because although the Oscars are a competition, they are not a championship. Perfect.

But, Karla Sofía, the past knocked on your door and didn’t knock on the doorbell twice. The actress was absolutely right when she clarified that she was talking about us Brazilians, not Fernanda Torres when she became the target of online transphobia. People are mean, they are treating everything like the World Cup and yes, they were tearing down the competition in shameful jingoism. But in fact, Karla Sofía should have kept quiet. By speaking badly about social media, the detectives began to want to find the truth and what they found was devastating AGAINST the actress. She made derogatory comments targeting Muslims in her native Spain, as well as George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in 2020, badmouthed her co-star Selena Gomez (something she had already apologized for last year) and has proven to be contradictory in everything she stands for. And there is no doubt about it, she is – or was until she deleted her account – all on her social media, you just had to go and look for it.

Result? Karla Sofía will be at the Oscars having to answer for everything she would rather not remember, taking all the focus away from Art and the film Emilia Perez and onto delicate issues that could remain in the air, but not influence voters’ choices. Continuing with the football analogy? OWN GOAL. Isolated penalty kick. A red card in the second half. Take your pick.

I liked the musical Emilia Perez even though I noticed the cultural flaws because the story they presented was interesting. Karla Sofía is very good in the role and the recognition was not unfair. However, any fear that the film would become popular was dispelled. Its history will forever be overshadowed by the complex culture of the 21st century, full of contradictions and accusations. The winner is “Brazil”, in the persons of Walter Salles Jr. and Fernanda Torres. The best representatives that could we will have.

And Karla Sofía? She took a stand: “THEY HAVE ALREADY WON. The first thing I would like to do is sincerely apologize to all those who felt bad about the way I expressed myself at any stage of my life,” she wrote to take a stand on the drama. “I have many things to learn in this world, [the] ways [in which I learn] are my main flaw. Life has taught me something I never wanted to learn: it is clear to me that, as much as your message is one, without using the right words, it becomes another. I cannot repair my past actions, I can only say that today I am not the same person I was 10 or 20 years ago, that although I had not committed any crime, I was not perfect either, nor am I now. I only try to learn and be a better person every day,” she continued. “I recognize, through tears, that they have already won, they have achieved their goal, to stain my existence with lies or things taken out of context. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not racist (they will be surprised when they find out that one of the most important people in my life right now and the one I love the most is Muslim) nor any of the things they have judged and condemned me for without judgment and without the option of explaining their true intention; I have always fought for a more just society and for a world of freedom, peace and love. I will never support wars, religious extremism, or the oppression of races and peoples. They have created posts as if it were me, insulting even my colleagues, things I wrote to glorify as if they were criticisms, jokes as if they were reality, and words that without the background seem only hate. All so that I gain nothing and sink. My mother said something beautiful to me yesterday: I don’t care if you gain something, I just want you to be okay and not get hurt. ‘Mom, life put me here to send a message of hope and love to this world, and I will fulfill it. As someone from a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry for those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe that light will always triumph over darkness.”

I feel for Karla Sofía Gascón. I only hope that her story – painful as it is – will serve as an example for everyone in the future. For all the right reasons.

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