It’s been a couple of weeks since the 2019 dark comedy thriller, Parasite, had won four Academy Awards and went down in Oscar history as being the first ever non-English language film to win “Best Picture”. Even though I was not able to watch the Oscars then (curse my inability to use cable TV, or the TV in general), I was updated on any Oscars-related news every fifteen minutes via Twitter.
When I first heard that Parasite was being nominated for several awards in many award shows, I was not at all surprised. I was familiar with Director Bong Joon-ho’s work, particularly with The Host, Snowpiercer, and Okja. Mr. Bong had the brilliant ability to combine comedy with horror, especially in The Host. I reckoned that he and his cast and crew were finally getting the recognition they deserved from Hollywood.
Truthfully, I was worried that Parasite was going to lose to either 1917 or Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. The Academy Awards, in my opinion, tend to give the “bigger” awards to movies that are based in the United States or the Western world of cinema. Imagine my surprise -and elation- when it was announced that Parasite had won “Best Picture”. I was celebrating along with other fans on Twitter and five minutes later, my dad texted me about the victory.
After about a week, I began to wonder why I felt the Oscar win was personal to me. I’m not of Korean descent or attending school for film. The only thing I could think of was the fact that I was of Asian descent and once dreamt of being an actress, the first from my native country to make it into Hollywood fame.
In a way, I was living vicariously through the achievements of these talented people since I grew up being told that it was better to chase a career in science than in the arts. Seeing people of Asian descent win prestigious awards for acting or the arts was eye-opening. It made me realize that I didn’t have to follow the typical “doctor” or “lawyer” route that was carved by my parents and the society I was familiar with.
Parasite shows the world that representation IS important in the world of cinema. Additionally, it shows my parents (and other Asian uncles and aunties around the world) that there IS a chance for Asian kids to make it into the arts with love and support. Even if I personally am not majoring in Theatre, these monumental Oscar wins might pave the way for other kids to follow their dreams and make it in the world of Hollywood.