For the first time in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards, a foreign-language film took home the golden statuette for best picture. So far, only 11 non-English language films, including 1997's Italian movie "Life is Beautiful," have ever been nominated in the most prestigious Oscars category. When Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite," in the 100th year of Korean cinema, was honored on stage Sunday night, Hollywood's elite applauded enthusiastically.
Looking back, a lot has changed. In 1949, when the British Film "Hamlet" became the first non-American movie to win best picture, the audience wasn't necessarily happy about it. This year, the affection for the South Korean film was evident inside the Dolby Theatre.
Besides winning best picture and best international feature film (previously called best foreign language film), "Parasite" scored in categories like best director and best original screenplay. A big surprise, because amongst the leading movies predicted to win in all major categories were Sam Mendes' war epic "1917", Quentin Tarantino's star-studded "Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood", and Todd Phillip's psycho-thriller "Joker" (11 nominations, winning two awards.)
At the end of the 2020 Academy Awards, a new bar had been set.
Responsible for the historic win? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, consisting of 8,469 individuals. A recent "Hollywood Reporter" study revealed that 84% of the organization is white—which has been the main target of criticism in recent years. Especially after complaints were raised on Twitter about #OscarsSoWhite (a hashtag from 2015 pointing out the lack of diversity), the Academy tried to change—with minor success. Concerns emerged again this year, manifested by the fact that only one person of color, Cynthia Erivo, was among the 20 people nominated for their acting performance.
In retrospect, "Parasite's" Oscars triumph changed the perception and skepticism towards the Academy's ability to judge and vote solely based on the quality of a movie. At the same time, it made possible a night in which diversity was at the core. Besides Bong Joon-ho and his cast, black queer artist Janelle Monáe performed a musical number and showcased diverse background dancers, while singing: "It's time to come alive / Because the Oscars are so white." Additionally, New Zealand's Taika Waititi became the first indigenous filmmaker to win an Oscar for best adapted screenplay—an honor for his Nazi satire "Jojo Rabbit", starring Scarlett Johansson.
Unlike any of this year's movies, "Parasite" is a dark comic thriller about tensions between the wealthy and the poor. A timely and relevant topic, capturing the nerve of the zeitgeist. But the South Korean film only has English subtitles and doesn't include any big names familiar to the American audience. Yet, with a phenomenal 99% score on "Rotten Tomatoes" (more than any of the Best Picture competitors), it triumphed at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019, winning the Palm d'Or. That makes "Parasite" the second movie ever to win in Cannes and get the best picture statuette—and honor only 1955's "Marty" was able to receive.
After accepting one of his awards at the Oscars, director Bong Joon-ho tackled the perception of "American vs. International movies," when he told reporters backstage: "I think naturally there will come a day when a foreign-language film or not, it won't really matter."
His road to the Oscar's throne was paved since his winning streak in Southern France. Prior to the Academy Awards, Bong's movie was honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award, and a British BAFTA Award, amongst others. Instead of making use of a big marketing budget, his movie only grew through word-of-mouth—an $11 million production that has grossed over $167 million worldwide. In contrast, at the box office in the United States, "Parasite" only earned $35 million—meaning that most Americans haven't seen it yet.
So, why did the Academy take the leap and chose the underdog? Besides being captivated by the uniqueness of the story and filmmaking, most Academy members were probably more willing to watch a movie with subtitles because it has been normalized by former best picture nominees such as 2018's Mexican drama "Roma", which won three Oscars last year.
On stage, after receiving his fourth and final Academy Award (for the evening), Bong said with the help of an interpreter: "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." Later, he added in English: "I think we only use one language: the cinema."
And even though the Academy still has a long way to go in terms of inclusivity and gender equality—the 2020 Academy Awards marked the beginning of a new era for global cinema.