“Parasite (기생충)” is the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival and the Best Foreign Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. “Parasite” was unanimously awarded the Palme d’Or, the most prestigious award given at the Cannes Film Festival. It is also the first Korean movie to be nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay, as well as receive the Best Foreign Film award at the Golden Globes.
“Parasite” is a 2019 South Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho about a poor family who secretly moves into a rich household. The low-income family assumes new identities to make them seem unrelated to each other in order to infiltrate a rich household as tutors and helpers. The movie follows their plan and shows the tragedy of the rich-poor divide in Korean society. When asked about why he thinks “Parasite” was able to gain such a large response from the United States audience, Bong answered, “ ‘Parasite’ is about capitalism and the difference between the rich and poor, so with America being like the heart of capitalism, it was impossible for it not to gain an explosive response. There are also political and social messages mentioned in the movie, and the reason why the story felt familiar to the audience is all thanks to the actors’ charms.” It grossed US$20.7 million in its opening weekend in Korea, and grossed the best-ever profit for a foreign film in the United States with US$376,264.
In his Golden Globe award speech, Bong sent a message to viewers saying, “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,” along with “I think we use only one language—the cinema.” This made a large impact on viewers around the world, encouraging them to open their hearts to movies outside of their native language.
Bong is a renowned Korean director, directing other award-winning movies such as “Memories of Murder (2003)” “The Host (2006)”, and “Okja (2017)”. Even in his early career, he was awarded Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Song Kang-ho), and Best Lighting at the 2003 Grand Bell Awards with his second piece “Memories of Murder”. “Okja” also premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and competed for the Palme d’Or.
Both critics and global audience viewers alike are astonished at the artistry of “Parasite”. On a movie review website called Rotten Tomatoes, “Parasite” has earned a 99% rating from critics and 93% rating from audiences. A critic on Rotten Tomatoes stated, “Much buzzed about and heralded, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite deserves to take its rightful place as one of the decade’s finest films. A searing, topical, visceral indictment of capitalism, classism, and the way we treat one another, the film also works powerfully well as an unforgettable work of dramatic fiction.” An audience member left a review on the site saying, “The most original film of 2019 and it is wickedly funny and darkly disturbing all at the same time. The narrative and the actors were excellent. One of the better endings of a movie in quite a while. Class warfare at its best.” Many people are seeing the talents of Bong, as well as the power of the language of cinema and how it can be used to reflect political and social messages.
“Parasite” is also nominated for Best International film at the 92nd Academy Awards, which will be held on January 13, 2020.
Written by: Erica Vinluan
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Current 4th year university student, Candidate for a Bachelor of Arts in Korean Language Flagship and minor in Business Administration at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Exchange student at Korea University and Intern at VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea)