This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded South Korean film “Parasite” with its top prize, resisting their usual favorites — Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, flashy war movies — and just barely avoiding total irrelevance. The political black comedy was nominated for six awards, winning Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, and, most notably, Best Director and Best Picture.
“Parasite” tells the story of the Kim family’s struggle to climb their way out of poverty and social stasis. Once middle class, they now live in a cramped, semi-basement apartment in Seoul as they struggle to find steady employment. When son Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) finds an opportunity to work in the house of the wealthy Park family, he and his entire family (dad, Song Kang-ho; mom, Jang Hye-jin and sister Park So-dam) milk as much as they can out of the unsuspecting quasi-aristocrats. This arrangement doesn’t last, however, since in the Park house awaits a reckoning for both the Parks and Kims alike.
The film effortlessly combines intelligent political and social commentary with thriller and black comedy.
Before the Academy Awards, “Parasite” had already made the rounds and racked up major awards, including winning the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival with a unanimous vote and Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA wins.
It was clearly a well-respected work, but would the Academy appreciate the film even though some members reportedly wouldn’t even strain to watch a movie with subtitles? For all appearances, the director wasn’t concerned.
Director Bong Joon-ho has long had an illustrious career in South Korea, directing acclaimed films like “The Host” (2006) and “Mother” (2009), “Snowpiercer” (2013) starring Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, and Tilda Swinton, and eco-conscious “Okja,” released on Netflix in 2017.
Bong got through awards season with the same irreverent humor that characterizes his movies. When accepting the Golden Globe award for best foreign-language film, he admonished Hollywood for their inability to read subtitles. In an interview with E. Alex Jung of “Variety,” he shrugged off the fact that a Korean movie had never before been nominated for an Oscar. “The Oscars are not an international film festival. They’re very local.”
Whatever Bong’s Oscar night expectations were, he had already made clear that his respect for the institution was limited.
Still, that Bong Joon-ho secured Best Director over such heavy hitters as Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino was a happy surprise. And when Jane Fonda announced the South Korean phenom’s win for best picture, the star-studded audience’s (bizarrely) giddy cheering (Don’t they know the movie is about them?) marked a new moment in the Academy’s 92-year history.
The question now becomes: what does Parasite’s win mean for the future of the Oscars and Hollywood itself?
While it’s tempting to hope that such a win may lead to lasting change, a whole wide world of cinema considered at the “local awards show,” I find it hard to believe that it amounts to more than a fluke.
Notably, none of Parasite’s stand-out cast were nominated for acting awards, despite the fact that their stellar performances contributed immensely to the success of the film and that Song Kang-ho is a widely-respected actor in South Korean film. Cynthia Erivo was the only nominee of color in all acting categories, only narrowly avoiding another year of #OscarsSoWhite.
Still, there were some other exciting wins. “Hair Love,” which tells the heartwarming story of a Black man learning to do his daughter’s hair for the first time, won Best Short Film. Taika Waititi won for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Jojo Rabbit” and dedicated his speech to the indigenous children of the world who want to pursue their art.
And if there’s any good in the world, Sharon Choi, aspiring filmmaker and Bong’s translator, will get her own film soon enough.
But ultimately I think Bong is right. The Academy speaks for little more than Hollywood, and we shouldn’t grant it any more power to confirm importance on the global cinematic stage than it deserves.
