After sweeping the Oscars by winning four of the six awards it was nominated for, Parasite has seen significant growth in box office sales globally, with ticket sales increasing 443%, according to the ticketing company Fandango. The critically-acclaimed film has also managed to maintain an incredible 99% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
What makes Parasite even more remarkable is its incredibly small budget, compared to the likes of Avengers: Endgame, which had a $356 million budget. Parasite‘s director, Bong Joon Ho, revealed that his new film took only $10 million USD to make.
Photograph Courtesy of NEON
🏆 Their Oscars wins:
Best Picture
Best Original Screenplay
Best Directing
Best International Feature Film
Bong Joon Ho’s latest film is a multilayered, beautifully executed film that inspires its audience to contemplate the implications of such radical class inequality. However, the movie’s differentiating feature is found in the subtle weaving of such themes into the plot. Bong does so by advancing the plot at just the right pace. It is extremely exciting to see the poor Kim family’s infiltration into the rich Park family’s life because they could be caught and exposed as frauds at any moment.
Parasite has transcended Hollywood’s glass ceiling for non-English films and has become a beacon of hope for more Asian-American representation and talent. Now, the question that will linger on everyone’s minds: Were these wins just an anomaly? Or will Hollywood continue to recognize and celebrate films like Parasite? I sincerely hope it is the latter. Movies ought not to be judged by the language they are spoken in, but by the content of their plot and the questions they leave the audience with.
In the meantime, let’s celebrate this win and all strive to be as happy as Bong Joon Ho admiring his well-deserved Oscar:
P.S. If you are looking for more wonderful films to watch this reading week, here are two of my favourites:
Arrival (2016) – starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner This sci-fi film will make you ponder what would actually happen if alien life descended upon our planet, with Adams’ fantastic performance as one of the film’s highlights. Unlike the “traditional alien” movie, this film does not get caught up in clichés that are predictable.
The Big Sick (2017) – starring Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan
One of the best indie films of 2017, we witness a story based on Nanjiani’s own life that is very raw and very real. Faced with immigrant parents who do not agree with his career path nor his love life, Nanjiani’s performance in this rom-com is both heartfelt and sincere.
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