Parasite

Parasite – a South Korean thriller film, ended this year’s Oscar award show by taking home the best picture award and making history as the first non-English film to win the most prestigious award. Bong Joon-Ho’s astoundingly vicious social satirical film is based on an underprivileged family that intrudes into a wealthy household, only to learn a much darker secret. This movie won multiple awards including best screenplay, best director, and best international feature film. As this South Korean film walked away with four trophies of the six categories it was nominated in, it is imperative to take a moment and appreciate the greatness of this achievement.

In the history of Oscars, this is the first time when a non-English film won the best picture award. This fact points more to the industry’s habit of exclusion rather than it does to the exceptional talent of international artists. It’s an inspiration and encouragement for all the foreign-films. Watching this film being appreciated on a global scale was an incredibly empowering experience for Asians, especially those who work in cinema and films. Given the fact that we Asians not only work extra hard to get acknowledgment for representation but we also fight with a lot of hurdles and family tension to pursue our film-based career. Parasite winning multiple awards is really a milestone for every other non-English film out there.