Feels so random how the west will latch onto certain movies but others will remain relatively unknown. This movie was pretty good but I don't see how it warrants this kind of attention. I think there are far superior Korean movies. Oldboy (2003) for example wasn't as praised as this movie though did receive some shine later on. Maybe the subject matter was too extreme.
shareIt's funny because, as an avid and regular consumer of Asian produced media (dramas, movies, music, etc.) for several years, I actually found myself wondering the same exact thing after I finished watching Parasite. I'm not here to detract from the film's success, and in general I *do* think it's great that Asian movies are getting recognition in the states, but it's always interesting to see what in specific western audiences will choose to highlight and award. Oldboy specifically came to my mind as well when I was reflecting (imo) on superior, and therefore more deserving, Asian movies, but really the list could go on. Infernal Affairs, for example, could have been a great US breakout, but I guess the early 2000's were more about co-opting great Asian movies ala Scorcese's weak remake The Departed as opposed to awarding them. Running Wild, A Bittersweet Life, Fulltime Killer, etc. I mean any one of those (again, IMHO) was just inherently better than what we got with Parasite, and it feels more like a desperate bid for diversity on the academy's part more than anything else. The only thing I will say about Parasite getting so many noms and wins is A. the cast 100% deserves every second of this because they were truly amazing and hands down the best thing about the movie, and B. I genuinely hope this breaks down some walls and hesitation towards Asian films. Sometimes it doesn't have to be the best or most deserving film to change the status quo, and I'd really like for the status quo to be changed when it comes to all foreign films, because there are so, so many good movies that aren't American. Also, America seems to be trending really hard on Korea right now, so hopefully that good will can open more doors for all Asian films.
Tl;dr: Agreed Oldboy is far superior than Parasite, still glad it's being recognized for its stellar cast and potential to warm western audiences to more Asian films.
Honestly, I think the success of Parasite has mostly to do with the subject of the movie and, as you mentioned, the diversity issue. The producers even promoted the movie like this. I'm not sure what it will do for Asian movies in general. What did the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and horror movies like The Ring do?
shareIts much less coincidental then you think.
I do agree that Parasite has struck a chord because it is more accessible than most South Korean (or indeed most non-English) films to general audiences. It’s relatively easy to follow and a definite crowd-pleaser. But I also feel that it is an outstanding filmmaker’s greatest world to date.
Oldboy was a big hit with the art house crowd but much too dark to have much crossover appeal. Personally I think that Parasite is the better of the two, but that’s no knock against Oldboy, which I admired very much.
My hope is that this film’s success is the beginning of a new era of international cinema achieving crossover success. In the 60s and 70s non-English movies quite frequently became mainstream hits - more recently this has been much more of a rarity.
It’s up 4 debate but troof be told, American filmz suck dis yr. I mean only contenda is 1917? Daz awful. It wuz either another awful best pic winner or a film daz actually good like Parasite so timin is everthin. Best pic 4 me is Uncut Gemz but it lookz like Oscarz don’t like awardin certain ppl or prefer later in their careerz or just too damn political.
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