Cluster of nominations for best-reviewed deliciously dark, haunting S Korean dramedy

THIS story is part of a series evaluating the chances of the nine best picture nominees. Parasite, a deliciously dark and haunting dramedy from Korean director Bong Joon-ho, has become one of the most buzzed-about movies of the year since its release in the US in October.

According to Box Office Mojo, Parasite had earned $129 million (R1.9 billion) internationally and $31m at the American box office as of Friday, impressive for a foreignlanguage film. And now it has half a dozen Oscar nominations, including for the biggest prize of the night.

Despite South Korean cinema’s growing stature, Parasite is the first film from that country to receive best picture and best international film consideration at the Oscars.

“It’s a little strange, but it’s not a big deal,” Bong said last year. “The Oscars are not an international film festival. They’re very local.”

Let’s break down Parasite’s chances at this “very local” affair. The movie received a total of six nominations including for directing, film editing, international feature film, production design and original screenplay.

Perhaps more than any other nominated film, Parasite is difficult to describe without giving it all away. So we’ll just say this: the film begins with the son of a working-class family (the Kims) agreeing to tutor the daughter of a wealthy family (the Parks), and then follows what happens as the two families become increasingly intertwined.

Parasite does not fit neatly into any particular genre; there’s dark humour, suspense, drama and some horror elements.

Bong co-wrote the screenplay with Han Jin-won.

The cast represents a massive ensemble effort, with leading man Song Kang-ho as the Kims’ father,

Lee Sun-kyun as the Parks’ father, Cho Yeo-jeong as the Parks’ mother, Choi Woo-shik as the Kims’ son, Park So-dam as the Kims’ daughter, Lee Jung-eun as the Parks’ housekeeper and Chang Hyae-jin as the Kims’ mother.

Why it could win: simply put, Parasite is one of the year’s bestreviewed movies. It has 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest number of any best picture nominee. It also took home the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes.

The genre-bending film might be specific to South Korea and Seoul in particular, but its themes about class, struggle and human dignity are universal.

Parasite received no acting nominations (as tends to be the case with Oscar films featuring predominantly Asian casts), but it made history as the first foreignlanguage film to win best ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. That considerably boosted its chances for Oscar love come Sunday.

“Although the title is Parasite,

I think the story is about coexistence, and how we can all live together,” Song said as he accepted the SAG award on behalf of the cast.

Why it wouldn’t win: perhaps the biggest barrier for Parasite is a cultural and linguistic one. No foreign-language film has ever won best picture, although several have been nominated in years past. Roma

in 2019 was considered the film to beat, but Green Book took home the Oscar instead.

The lack of acting nominations could also spell doom for its chances (only 11 other films have ever won best picture, without receiving nominations in any acting categories). In the end, Oscar voters might opt instead to give the best international film feature Oscar to Parasite, and show best picture love to another movie. | The Washington Post