[2020 Academy] 'Gisaengchung' Dominated the Academy Awards (Comprehensive Report 2)

Four Crowns Including Best Picture, Director, International Feature, and Screenplay... First Foreign Language Film to Top the Oscars
Breaking the Subtitle Barrier and Oscar's Conservative Tradition, Making History in the 92-Year Academy Legacy

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jong-gil] Director Bong Joon-ho's film Parasite dominated the Academy Awards, marking the first time a Korean film has entered the Oscars. It won four major awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best International Feature Film, and Best Original Screenplay.

On the 9th (local time), at the 92nd Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, USA, Parasite won Best Picture, beating out Ford v Ferrari, Joker, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, 1917, and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. This is the first time in the 92-year history of the Oscars that a foreign-language film has taken the top prize. It overcame both the barrier of subtitles and the Academy's conservative traditions in Hollywood, the center of the global film industry.

Korean films have steadily challenged the Academy since director Shin Sang-ok's The Guest in the Guesthouse was submitted in 1962, but none had been nominated until now. Parasite not only entered the competition for the first time but also won the highest award, wiping away past disappointments. Additionally, it became only the second film to win both the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Picture. The first film to achieve this double was Delbert Mann's romantic comedy Marty (Palme d'Or 1955, Academy Award for Best Picture 1956).

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Producer Kwak Sin-ae, CEO of Barunson E&A, who worked on Parasite, was so overwhelmed when receiving the trophy that she was speechless for a while. With tears in her eyes amid continuous applause from the audience, she said, "I can't find the words. This is something I never imagined; I'm so happy." She added, "This moment feels very meaningful, symbolic, and timely. I pay my respects and gratitude to the Academy members who made this decision."

Lee Mi-kyung, Vice Chairman of CJ Group, who was responsible for investing and producing Parasite, expressed, "I like everything about director Bong Joon-ho. His mind, the way he speaks and walks, especially his directing style and sense of humor. He makes fun of himself but never becomes serious." She also extended thanks to the Parasite production team, her younger brother CJ Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, and Korean audiences.

The brightest star of the ceremony was director Bong Joon-ho. He won Best Director, beating Martin Scorsese for The Irishman, Todd Phillips for Joker, Sam Mendes for 1917, and Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. This is the second time an Asian director has won this award, following Ang Lee (Taiwan) for Hollywood films Brokeback Mountain (2006) and Life of Pi (2013). The achievement is even more significant because Parasite is a purely Korean film in the Korean language.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Holding up the award, Director Bong said, "When I studied film as a child, the phrase 'the most personal is the most creative' resonated deeply with me. It was said by Martin Scorsese, who was also nominated alongside me," drawing a standing ovation from the audience. He expressed gratitude and apologies by mentioning each of the other nominated directors one by one. He added, "If the Academy allows, I would like to cut this award into five pieces with a Texas chainsaw and share it," which once again filled the room with laughter.

Parasite also won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, beating The Painted Bird (Poland), Pain and Glory (Spain), Les Mis?rables (France), and Honeyland (North Macedonia). It was selected as the best feature film made outside the United States. Including special and honorary awards given between 1947 and 1955, this is the eighth time an Asian film has won. Previous winners include Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1951, Japan), Daisuke It?'s Gate of Hell (1954, Japan), Hiroshi Inagaki's Miyamoto Musashi (1955, Japan), Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001, Taiwan), Yojiro Takita's Departures (2009, Japan), and Asghar Farhadi's A Separation (2012) and The Salesman (2017) (both Iran).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Director Bong, along with writer Han Jin-won, also won the Best Original Screenplay award. They beat Ryan Johnson for Knives Out, Noah Baumbach for Marriage Story, Sam Mendes for 1917, and Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, becoming the first East Asians to win this award. It is the first time in 17 years that a foreign-language film has won this category since Pedro Almod?var's Talk to Her (2002). Bong said, "Writing a screenplay is actually a lonely and solitary task. I'm not writing to represent a country, but this award is meaningful because it is the first Oscar won by Korea." Parasite was also nominated for Best Production Design and Best Film Editing but did not win.

This year, 8,469 Academy members participated in the voting. These include members of film organizations such as actors, directors, cinematographers, and writers, as well as filmmakers specially recommended under certain conditions. Until the previous ceremonies, there was a tendency to focus on Asian films that reinterpreted Western cultural texts in an Asian way or highlighted regional identities of each country.

Parasite is a work far removed from such mannerism or orientalism. It highlights the universal issue of wealth disparity through a free-spirited narrative rhythm and mise-en-sc?ne that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. It presents the deepening alienation between social classes and blind worship of growth through variations of various genres and meticulous composition, delivering fresh entertainment. Supported by many filmmakers, it has already won 56 trophies at 58 overseas film festivals. It also received the Palme d'Or, the highest honor at the Cannes Film Festival.

Parasite succeeded in appealing to the general public to the extent that it cracked the dichotomy between Hollywood and non-Hollywood films. According to Box Office Mojo, as of the 7th, it earned $34,372,282 from 1,060 theaters. This is the highest box office revenue among Korean films ever released in North America. It ranks sixth among all foreign-language films released in North America. Films with higher earnings include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ($128,078,872), Life is Beautiful (Italy, 1997, $57,563,264), Hero (China, 2002, $53,710,019), Instructions Not Included (Mexico, 2013, $44,467,206), and Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico, 2006, $37,634,615). Among films that have also won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, only Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Life is Beautiful have achieved this.

Parasite is a black comedy that deals with human dignity and respect. Director Bong explained the plot, saying, "Depending on how much respect for humans is maintained, it can be divided into parasitism or symbiosis in a good sense, just like the film's title." He never loses the popular appeal in storytelling. He borrows various genres to create tension and inserts cinematic fun throughout.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Parasite also stands out for its calculated expressions blending metaphor and ideas. Instead of provocative violent scenes, it uses unexpected elements to convey humor and pathos. Director Bong said, "I respect films that seriously discuss heavy and political topics for two hours, but I can't do that. I like it when humor and comedy are mixed in. I like the feeling that sharp knives are hidden within the laughter of the audience." This is the secret that captivated filmmakers worldwide.

Meanwhile, the short documentary Memories of Absence, which deals with the Sewol ferry disaster, failed to win an award. On the day, director Lee Seung-jun attracted attention by walking the red carpet with Oh Hyun-joo, mother of Danwon High School student Jang Jun-hyung, and Kim Mina, mother of student Kim Geon-woo, both victims of the Sewol ferry tragedy.