South Korea's "Parasite" is first ever Foreign Language Film to win Oscar Best Picture
Believe it or not, a South Korean movie (complete with subtitles) is the 2019 Oscars’ Best Picture
Like his fabled circumnagivational train the Snowpiercer, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s latest opus, “Parasite,” has proved to be unstoppable too
After making successful runs at the Cannes Film Festival and the Screen Actors Guilds, “Parasite” has gone on to pick up the top statuette at the Academy Awards
What makes Bong’s movie’s achievement more significant is the fact that it’s the first time in the Academy’s 92-year history to crown a foreign-language film as Best Picture
And it did that against a field of no pushovers
Sam Mendes’ “2017” war movie was actually the favorite to win it all, having earlier won the BAFTA, Directors Guild Award, and Producers Guild Award
Also with equal chances at success were star-studded films “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “The Irishman,” “Joker,” and “Ford v Ferrari”
In fact, “Parasite” was deemed the underdog until its name was called
The win was a surprise but certainly deserved
It showcased in full Bong’s almost peerless directorial skills of presenting deep political allegories as crowd-pleasing blockbusters
This is something that was gleaned in the 50-year-old director’s previous hits “The Host,” “Snowpiercer,” and “Okja”
Aside from Best Picture, “Parasite” also won as Best International Feature Film and for Best Original Screenplay
It also gave Bong the Best Director trophy
The movie has also found box-office success when it expanded in theaters across North America during the fall and winter
Asked previously about the success of “Parasite” at the box-office, Bong said it may be because its story “is something that everyone can sympathize with, no matter which country you’re from”
“Parasite” is a film that mixes social satire with a complex twist and compelling tension
It puts a spotlight on the Kims, a poor family whose luck somehow changes when each of their members become employed for various positions in a rich household
This is even when they aren’t actually qualified to do those jobs
Such an advantageous setup is suddenly threatened when the rich family’s former housekeeper goes back to the mansion
The Kims find out her secret but the housekeeper discovers theirs as well
And so a tension-filled standoff ensues
The Academy Awards, or more popularly known as the Oscars, are an annual event hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
Awards are given to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements, represented by a golden statuette
It’s officially called the Academy Award of Merit but its more known by its nickname, the Oscar
The first Academy Awards was held in May 16, 1929, with Douglas Fairbanks, who was also the AMPAS president then, hosting the show
“Wings,” a movie about World War I, was declared as the Outstanding Picture (the Best Picture today)
From the first Oscars to the 91st edition held last year, there have been 3,096 Oscar statuettes handed out