‘Parasite’ Makes History at the Oscars

‘Parasite’ Makes History at the Oscars

South Korean thriller ‘Parasite’ wins four Academy Awards and is the first foreign-language film to claim Best Picture

By John Jurgensen
Updated Feb. 10, 2020 4:35 am ET

The South Korean film “Parasite” won best picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, becoming the first ever non-English-language film to seize the top honor. The historic victory marked the fourth win of the night for the film, which mined suspense, humor and anguish in its tale rooted in the socioeconomic divide between two families.
“Parasite,” which was one of only 10 foreign-language films in Oscar history nominated for best picture, also won best international feature film, original screenplay and director for filmmaker Bong Joon Ho. He used one of his acceptance speeches to thank fellow nominees who influenced his work, including Martin Scorsese, whose epic “The Irishman” was shut out of all 10 categories it was nominated in.

The thriller beat the odds to win best picture over strong contenders, especially “1917,” a box-office hit with a string of conquests at previous award shows. That World War I drama directed by Sam Mendes won three Oscars, forcinematography, sound mixing and visual effects.

The timely theme of class alienation in “Parasite” helped make it the highest-grossing foreign release in the U.S. last year. It found passionate support among critics and in Hollywood, which embraced Mr. Bong as a filmmaker working at the top of his game after six previous films, including “The Host,” “Snowpiercer” and “Okja.” After the director used a Golden Globes speech to encourage English-speaking audiences to get past “the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,” Oscar voters rallied behind a movie in Korean.
The wins for “Parasite” seemed to promise a more inclusive Oscars that many critics of the Hollywood institution have called for. In one of his acceptance speeches, Mr. Bong referred to a naming change by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of the formerly “foreign-language film” category to “international feature film.” Said Mr. Bong, “I applaud and support the direction that this new change symbolizes.”

The original screenplay Oscar for Mr. Bong and Han Jin Won also marks the first time an Asian nominee has won in any writing category.
…

From: Wall Street Journal