The Oscars triumph of “Parasite”
And of its director, Bong Joon-ho, a persona non grata turned national hero
HALFWAY THROUGH “Parasite”, the Kims (pictured), a family of grifters who live in a dank Seoul basement, have by hook and (mostly) crook wangled their way into jobs in the ultrachic mansion of the Parks. Twisty as the plot has already been, viewers know more surprises must be in store—but can scarcely imagine what they will be. The screwball shifts in tone somehow cohere into a biting parable of haves and have-nots. On February 9th this South Korean farce became the first foreign-language film to be crowned Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It also took Best Screenplay, Best International Feature Film and Best Director, for Bong Joon-ho.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Creepy crawlies”
From the February 15th 2020 edition
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