Hey movie fans did you catch the Oscars? The 97th Academy Awards just went down and there were definitely some exciting moments. One big highlight? "El Mal" from the movie Emilia Pérez snagged the Oscar for Best Original Song . Let's talk about this win and why it is kind of a big deal.
Oscar Night惊喜! Camille and Clément Ducol's 'El Mal' Takes Home Best Original Song
Yep you heard it right. Songwriters Clément Ducol and Camille walked up on that Dolby Theatre stage and took home the gold statuette. They wrote "El Mal" for Emilia Pérez and it paid off big time. Camille started off their acceptance speech by saying how important the song is.
She thanked the Academy members and gave props to the other nominees. Then she made a powerful point. Camille said they wrote "El Mal" to call out corruption and they hope it shows how music and art can be a force for good in the world.
Ducol jumped in to thank the amazing cast especially Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón for making the song come alive. He also thanked everyone who helped make the music happen and gave a shout out to Netflix. It was a classic acceptance speech full of gratitude.
Impromptu Performance and Stage Play-Off! Camille and Ducol's Memorable Oscar Moment
But wait there's more to this win than just a speech. After thanking everyone Camille and Ducol did something totally unexpected. They broke into an impromptu performance right there on the Oscar stage! How cool is that?
They started singing and celebrating their win in song. It was a spontaneous joyful moment. It was also a little long because guess what? They got played off! The orchestra started playing the music to wrap things up but Camille and Ducol kept going. It was a fun and slightly rebellious way to end their acceptance.
These two French songwriters teamed up to create all the songs for Emilia Pérez. It is a musical thriller set in Mexico directed by Jacques Audiard. Even though Camille and Ducol are French the songs in the movie are mostly in Spanish. "El Mal" the winning song already won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award. It features Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón singing about corrupt people in society.
'Emilia Pérez' and its Oscar Buzz: More Than Just Music
Emilia Pérez was a big contender at the Oscars this year. It racked up a whopping 13 nominations just one short of tying the record. It was also in the running for Best Picture alongside movies like The Brutalist and Dune: Part Two.
While it didn't win Best Picture the Best Original Song win is still a major victory. The movie itself is pretty unique a crime musical about a cartel leader who transitions. It has a star-studded cast including Zoe Saldaña Selena Gomez and Demi Moore.
The Oscars ceremony this year hosted by Conan O'Brien did things a bit differently. They skipped the usual big musical numbers for each nominated song. Instead they had short presentations focusing on the songwriters. However some artists like Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande from Wicked did perform live during the show.
Best Original Song Nominees: 'El Mal' and the Competition
"El Mal" was up against some tough competition in the Best Original Song category. Here are the other nominees:
- "Mi Camino" from Emilia Pérez (also by Camille and Clément Ducol)
- "Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late (Elton John)
- "Like a Bird" from Sing Sing (Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada)
- "The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight (Diane Warren)
Elton John a legend himself was nominated for "Never Too Late" which he wrote for a documentary about his life. He has already won two Oscars for Best Original Song before for The Lion King and Rocketman.
"Like a Bird" from Sing Sing is from songwriters Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada. Sing Sing is a movie about a real-life arts program in a maximum security prison and the song plays at the end of the film.
Diane Warren a songwriting powerhouse was nominated for "The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight a movie about a WWII all-Black all-female battalion. Warren has been nominated for an incredible 16 Oscars for original songs over the years. She even received an honorary Oscar in 2022 but this year she still did not get a competitive win.
Zoe Saldaña's Big Night: Supporting Actress Win and History Made
While Camille and Ducol's win is amazing Emilia Pérez actually had another big win at the Oscars. Zoe Saldaña took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie! This is her first ever Oscar win and her first nomination.
Saldaña made history too. She is the first Dominican American woman to win an Academy Award. In her emotional speech she said she is a proud child of immigrant parents and that her grandmother would have been delighted to see her win for a role where she sings and speaks Spanish.
Saldaña has been winning awards for this role all season. She already won Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes the BAFTAs and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. She also won a joint Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival with her Emilia Pérez co-stars.
Controversy and Accolades: The Journey of 'Emilia Pérez' to Oscar Glory
Emilia Pérez has not been without its challenges. The movie faced some backlash for how it portrays Mexican culture and the trans experience. LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD even said it wasn't good trans representation.
There was also controversy when some old offensive tweets from star Karla Sofía Gascón resurfaced. Zoe Saldaña responded to this saying she does not tolerate negative comments towards any group of people.
Despite these issues Oscar voters still recognized Saldaña's performance and the movie's music. Emilia Pérez has had a turbulent journey but it ended with Oscar wins and a lot of buzz. It is definitely a movie people will be talking about for a while.