"Parasite" (2019) — Bong Joon-Ho
The Post-Oscar win Post
Damn, what a night…
The Academy allowed diversity in much like the Parks brought in the Kim's, partially unaware or driven by the necessity of having to follow up to rules they just couldn't control. The result of inviting artists, producers, investors of all nationalities and backgrounds to the most prestigious cinema membership was a desperate move to attract viewers, money and, well, the very same prestige they so highly claimed to have. The situation was getting too 'white', if you know what I mean, and the traditional white movie-goer just stopped going. Yes, they had given in to Netflix's very own savage way of doing capitalism: who cares if you show a little color when the money, what really matters, is still ours?
It's because they can be nice that they are. That's one of director Bong's very own messages across 'Parasite'. And Hollywood fits the metaphor just fine. Still what is needed is that stand-in ovation from Brad Pitt, Scorsese and all of that not so diverse audience. White-recognition is still a must to achieve some space in international box-offices, even though Canadian company Neon, the indie distributor with the right cunning and the best of intentions, played a huge part in this case of success. Also, Korean investors were confident enough when putting their money on 'Parasite', driven by the director's long-known pursuit of conquering worldwide audiences the same way a K-Pop group would: bridging countries and peoples, making it all so relatable — a message that the Academy is so desperate to learn how to explore.
Still, it's important to understand that what is truly different this time is not the fact that a foreign-language film was better than an English film, great movies were always there, but how this whole campaign went down, from the political decisions made by the Korean government years ago in order to invest public money in the cultural industry, to the very personal, progressive and daring road trailed by Bong Joon-Ho as he challenged people such as pre-scandal Weinstein to get his films and the hard work of everyone who had worked with him to overcome 'the one inch tall barrier of subtitles'. Milestones don't happen in a night, and that's that. Things take more time and effort than genius. 'Parasite' is the result of decades of good and assertive choices made not only by individuals but by whole groups sharing a common interest in making films (and money).
Congratulations to Director Bong Joon-Ho and his amazing crew and cast!
( source: hyperlinks )
