The Academy Awards have a sordid history of some questionable choices. We have discussed a few of them in previous months. Many of the more egregious errors stem from a stodgy institution refusing to adapt to more modern audiences. This month, we are going to celebrate an exception to that rule in delving into 2019’s Best Picture winner – Parasite (2019, dir. Bong Joon-ho).
Parasite tells the story of the Kim family in Seoul, South Korea struggling to get by. The youngest family member, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) fraudulently obtains a job as an English tutor for the daughter of a wealthy family. This is the Kim family’s foot in the door as Ki-woo finds jobs for each of his family members in this house – usually through equally questionable methods. Eventually, the rich family goes on a camping trip, leaving the Kims to watch over things in their absence. While doing so, a stranger knocks on the door and reveals some additional secrets about the house. (To detail them here would spoil much of what makes the film interesting.)
The film is quite a ride. It initially appears to be one thing and then turns into something else and then spins a third time in such a surprising and partially satisfying way that is unlike anything American cinema has seen. (I make that special qualifier as I believe such twists have existed in Korean films before, but my experience with Korean films is severely limited.) It is impossible to judge foreign language acting the same way you can your native language, but the performances here all seem to be top-notch and inarguably serve the greater purpose of the film flawlessly. I felt the way the filmmakers wanted me to at every turn.
Parasite represents a great step forward for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It was the first foreign language film to win Best Picture (the fact that this first came so ridiculously late in its history is nothing to celebrate, but that is a conversation for a different medium). It is one of three films (the others being The Lost Weekend and Marty) to win Best Picture and the Palme d’Or (best film at the Cannes Film Festival). It also bends into some genres that are historically ignored. While I personally preferred Jojo Rabbit from the 2019 film slate, I must admit the Academy absolutely got this one right.
If you have managed to avoid hearing spoilers about the twists, give Parasite your time. It will require you to focus as the first third is fairly slow and the entire film is in Korean, so you will be reading subtitles. That effort will not go unrewarded.
FUN FACT – Bong Joon-ho became only the eighth person to win Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, joining Billy Wilder, Francis Ford Coppola, James L. Brooks, Peter Jackson, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, and Alejandro Iñárritu.
Just Watch says that Parasite is currently streaming on Max. It is also available for rent/purchase on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
As a reminder, here is the original post that details the scores and weighting system.