Parasite: The First Korean movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture

Kei Quinal

Reading — Advanced Level
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Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a damning commentary on South Korea’s gaping wealth gap, but on Monday the country came together to celebrate the film’s historic showing at the Oscars, culminating in an Academy Award for best picture. The film also won Oscars for best director, best screenplay and best international feature, adding to its successes at the Cannes Film Festival last year and the Baftas earlier this month.

But it was the moment that Parasite was awarded best picture – a first for any non-English language film in the Oscars’ 92-year-history – that sparked outpourings of joy in Bong’s native country.

The Oscars marked an incredible turnaround for Bong who, just a few years ago, was on a secret blacklist, compiled during the administration of the country’s disgraced conservative president, Park Geun-hye, of thousands of South Korean artists and writers who espoused “leftwing views”.

“Just like BTS had a popular appeal by casting the problems the youth go through everywhere in the world, Parasite gained global understanding by demonstrating the issue of the gap between the rich and poor,” pop culture critic Kim Hern-sik said.
  1. Which of the following is true of the movie, Parasite?
  2. Parasite made history by   .
  3. Which of the following issues is portrayed in the movie?
  4. How did the Oscars change Director Bong Joon-Ho’s life?
  5. Why was he blacklisted?
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Discussion

Practice your writing skills by discussing the questions below

  1. What non-English films have you watched before?
  2. What do you like about those films?
  3. Do you agree that non-English films can widen your perspective about the world?Why/why not?
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