parasite

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

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

have seemingly shaken the long-standing arbiter of cinematic greatness. Additionally, there’s the sneaking suspicion that the show — no longer in possession of its viselike grip on Hollywood, and cinema more broadly, as the be-all, end-all of critical acclaim — knows that its position within the world of entertainment is tenuous. A comment Bong made to Vulture last year is telling in this regard: “The Oscars are not an international film festival. They’re very local.”

Bong’s not-so-subtle dig at the Oscars is important because it signaled that there are other, perhaps even more significant accolades that a filmmaker may hope to acquire. Sunday night’s show also made clear that the Academy needed Bong’s presence at the ceremony way more than he needed those four golden statues, though the underlying message that American films aren’t the only ones worthy of being exalted cannot be overstated. Beyond Bong’s big sweep of some of the most popular categories is the realization that the Academy is trying, possibly as hard as any institution with a deep history of racism and exclusionary practices can, to be more aware of its backsliding when it comes to honoring people of color and women at the annual event. But is recognizing that you have a problem enough if you’re not making meaningful strides to remedy the issue?