Less than two weeks ago, the movie was flying high, with 13 Academy Award nods. Then came a social media scandal and a serious backlash

You can generally tell when awards season is going well for a movie because its stars are everywhere, attending galas, treading red carpets, doing as many interviews as they can, and repeating the same bland sentiments about how special this movie is and everyone was a dream to work with. Conversely, you can tell things aren’t so rosy when your lead star is cancelling all their US appearances, being discreetly airbrushed out of the campaign and issuing statements such as: “I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain.”

This is where Emilia Pérez and its lead, Karla Sofía Gascón, find themselves. Less than two weeks ago the movie was riding high, with a remarkable 13 Oscar nominations, including best actress for Gascón – the most for any movie this year and one short of the all-time record. Now, though, it is looking as if the wheels have come off for Emilia Pérez’s awards campaign, or at least for Gascón herself. Many are wondering how this could have happened so quickly; was it a spectacular act of self-sabotage, or are there darker arts at work?