Anna Daniels
We submit that this is a breathtakingly wrongheaded statement to make about the highest-grossing film in the history of South Korea, and that even if the tweet were asserting that Parasite is a movie that no Americans have watched, it would still be wrong. It’s worth asking, though: in a Best Picture field crowded with deserving nominees such as 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Little Women, The Irishman (which was shut out completely despite garnering a whopping ten nominations), and, yes, Joker, did Parasite really deserve its win?
Well, let’s go to the tape. The film may have been a foreign production in a language other than English, but Bong is indisputably a master filmmaker, and virtually every critic who viewed Parasite agreed that it saw him operating at the absolute peak of his powers. In his distinguished, two decade-plus career, he has fielded two flicks which should be familiar to American audiences: 2006’s The Host, a jaw-droppingly excellent monster movie, and 2013’s Snowpiercer, a Chris Evans-starring graphic novel adaptation which is his sole English language credit.
Bong is an immensely gifted writer and director who never compromises his vision; he was aware, for example, that titling his film Parasite was a potential turn-off to audiences both foreign and domestic (via IGN), and yet here we are, discussing its Best Picture win. The film is a scathing satire, a blistering commentary on class divisions and social inequality — all descriptors which could easily be applied to Joker, now that we think of it.
Even among its distinguished competition, Parasite stands out as a thought-provoking, at times profoundly uncomfortable, amazingly relevant and satisfying film. Heck, Parasite and Joker would make excellent companion pieces to each other — and yes, in our humble opinion, the movie’s win was richly deserved.
Written by: Looper
