The Oscars needed “Parasite” to win. This year’s Academy Awards ended on a high note with South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho, the mastermind behind Parasite, one of 2019’s most acclaimed films, making history by snagging the coveted honor of Best Picture. The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where the annual event is held, erupted with applause as the winner was announced by Jane Fonda, with people on every level of the auditorium — from the folks way up high in the balcony to the A-listers on the ground floor — excitedly rising to their feet to praise Bong. Bong’s win was historic because Parasite was the first foreign-language film to ever be awarded Best Picture. Ultimately, Bong would take home
4
four trophies, including for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Film. But amid the palpable joy in the theater over Bong’s dark comedy being canonized in Oscars history was the shocking feeling that the Academy had done what it was supposed to do: reward a movie that was actually good. In recent years, the Academy has dealt with dwindling ratings, a cultural shift as people opt to stay in and watch something streaming rather than fork out money to go to the nearest multiplex, and a chorus of marginalized voices who are fed up with the organization’s apparent unwillingness to recognize people of color for the film industry’s top awards. All of these elements
