‘El mal’ from ‘Emilia Pérez’ Wins 2025 Best Original Song Oscar
The musical starring Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldaña triumphs thanks to one of its standout strengths.
It’s nearly impossible to imagine cinema without music. While most people immediately think of a film’s full score, we shouldn’t overlook original songs, which sometimes have the power to elevate an entire movie on their own. This year’s Oscars made it difficult to predict a clear winner, as we were fortunate to enjoy some truly outstanding compositions. But since only one can take home the prize, it’s time to reveal the victor: ‘El mal,’ from Emilia Pérez, winner of the 2025 Oscar for Best Original Song.
Oscars for Emilia Pérez despite the controversy
Jacques Audiard’s film has been mired in controversy throughout this awards season. To begin with, it’s the first Spanish-language film that requires subtitles for Spanish speakers—none of the cast seem to be able to properly pronounce the language they’re acting in. On top of that, the director and crew decided to set the film in Mexico without ever setting foot in the country, handling the topics of drug trafficking and disappearances with little sensitivity. And when Mexican audiences turned against the film, Audiard made things worse by saying that “Spanish is a language spoken in developing countries and by poor people.” As if that weren’t enough, the film’s lead, Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón, had a series of racist tweets leaked, causing a backlash from her co-stars and even Netflix.
After winning the Golden Globe and becoming the most-nominated non-English-language film in Oscar history (13 nominations), it looked like it might be the night’s biggest loser, but has now picked up Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña) and Best Original Song.
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