Winning Best Original Song at last night’s Oscars, “El Mal” was one of the only bright spots for Emilia Pérez, along with Zoe Saldaña’s win for Best Supporting Actress, after a disastrous run following the announcement of the nominees.
Written by Clément Ducol and Camille along with director Jacques Audiard, “El Mal” is performed toward the second half of Emilia Pérez as the titular character (Karla Sofía Gascón) is hosting a dinner for a non-profit organization she has created as a method to try and make amends for her former life as a cartel drug lord. The non-profit is created with help from Rita (Saldaña), a lawyer who helped get Pérez surgery and escape Mexico. Rita sees that most of the people donating to the non-profit are dangerous and corrupt individuals who probably caused most of the problems the non-profit seeks to assist with, and “El Mal” points out all their hypocrisy in a rap-rock style that also takes some inspiration from Bollywood. Along with last night’s Oscar, the song won a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. You can check out the “El Mal” scene from the movie below.
