And the Oscar goes toParasite! In what might be one of the most surprising wins in recent memory at the Academy Awards, director Bong Joon-Ho’s acclaimed thriller took home Best Picture at the Oscars, beating out1917, Sam Mendes' World War I epic, which was the heavy favorite to win the top prize. Instead,Parasitehas made history, as it becomes the first foreign-language movie to win the award.
Parasitewas competing for the nights top prize alongside the likes ofJoker,Ford v Ferrari,The Irishman,Marriage Story,Little Women,1917,Once Upon a Time in HollywoodandJojo Rabbit. Ultimately, as they announce theOscar winnersone by one, it was the South Korean entry that bested the competition to mark down its place in the Hollywood history books. Last year,Romawas viewed as a legitimate contender to become the first foreign-language movie to win Best Picture, but it lost out toGreen Book.
It was a huge night forParasiteoverall, as the movie won four of the night’s biggest prizes, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and International Feature Film. When the movie won for screenplay, it made history by becoming the first Oscar win for South Korea ever at the Academy Awards.Bong Joon-Hojoked during his first acceptance speech that “I am ready to drink tonight.” In total, the acclaimed feature was nominated for six awards. The only twoParasitelost were Production Design, which went toOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodand Film Editing, which went toFord vs Ferrari.
This is only the eleventh time in the more than 90s years that the Academy Awards have been honoring cinema that a foreign-language movie was nominated for Best Picture.Grand Illusion,Z,The Emigrants,Cries and Whispers,The Postman,Life is Beautiful,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,Letters from Iwo Jima,Babel,AmourandRomaall were nominated previously. However, none of them were able to close the deal. Bong Joon-Ho’s stylish thriller about a lower-income family scamming their way into an upper-class household, on the other hand, was able to get the job done. The movie’s official Twitter account thanked the Academy by sharing an image of an Oscar statue with a censorship bar blurring the eyes, which recalls imagery from theParasiteposter.
Aside from being an awards season darling and trailblazing piece of cinema,Parasitehas also proved to be a massive commercial hit. To date, it has earned $165 million worldwide and counting. Undoubtedly, that number is going to climb in the coming weeks thanks to its big night. HBO is also developing an English-language remake with Adam McKay (The Big Short), which will be produced as a limited series, with Bong Joon-Ho heavily involved.
