Why Parasite Won The Oscars
Parasite was undoubtedly one of the best films of 2019. It also made history at the 2020 Oscars, becoming the first Foreign Film in history to win Best Picture, to the glee of the cast and crew alongside fans worldwide.
Not only that, Parasite actually won 4 Oscars; Best Original Screenplay, Best International Film, Best Director and Best Picture, making it the biggest winners on the night compared to the 3 for 1917. So, why exactly did Parasite sweep the Oscars in such a dominant way?
This film is one of the rare films that combined genres such as comedy, drama and horror within the same movie. It’s difficult to make two genres work together, let alone three, but Bong Joon Ho definitely pulled it off magnificently. The playful yet urgent and slightly horrifying nature of Parasite makes the film so entertaining and endearing to fans in Korea and all over the world. Not to mention, it’s technical aspects; the cinematography, the script, the acting and the direction, were all astounding.
2. Bong Joon Ho Is A Genius
This is not the first time Bong has made waves around Hollywood. His first few films, Memories of Murder and The Host, put him on notice. A few years later he debuted his own Hollywood project with Snowpiercer, a film that I thought was one of the most original and enjoyable action films of the decade. He might have had a hit or miss with Okja, but he rebounded in such a big way with Parasite; combining multiple genres into one ridiculously enjoyable and sophisticated film.
3. It’s Shamefully Entertaining
When general audiences think of Best Picture winners, they think of films that require alot of your brain power to endure through or slow burns that may simply not be for everyone. Here, however, you have Parasite that is so ridiculously entertaining throughout. It keeps you laughing, at the same time it keeps you on the edge of your seat without requiring any explosions or action to do so. There hasn’t been a Best Picture winner that united cinephiles on social media as unanimously good as Parasite.
4. It has something to say
When you come to think of it, it’s very logical that Parasite would’ve won Best Picture due to it’s message regarding the contrasting gap between the rich and poor. 1917, Marriage Story, The Irishman were all fantastic films; but the over-arching message was simply not strong enough for the Oscars to reward Best Picture.