To Read or Not to Read: Parasite, BTS and the Growing Success of Subtitles

Let’s face it – most people don’t usually enjoy reading subtitles. Whether it’s watching a show or listening to music, many people prefer the experience of engaging with media in their home language, as there is a sense of comfort and familiarity. Some people see it as a hassle to pay attention to visuals on a screen, while simultaneously keeping track of subtitles, whilst others simply believe that part of the experience is lost in translation when listening to music in a different language. Foreign films, like Parasite (2019) and South Korean musical group BTS, however, seem to be changing the game. 

On the 10th of February 2020, Parasite made history as the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Around the same time, BTS performed alongside Lil Nas X at the Grammys, becoming the first Korean pop act to do so. Their latest album, “Map of the Soul:7” garnered a massive 91 number 1’s on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart (Via: @btschartdata). Considering the success of these South Korean powerhouses, it is no surprise that people have increasingly become more comfortable with reading subtitles. Bong Joon Ho, director of Parasite, stated in his Golden Globes acceptance speech earlier this year that, “Once people overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, they will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” The question now is: will people heed Bong’s advice? With the way things have been going, it looks like that answer is ‘yes’.

The South Korean, or “Hallyu”, wave is stronger than it has ever been before. Starting as the South Korean government’s attempt to promote their culture on a global scale in the late 1990’s, influential players such as BTS and Bong have put South Korea on the map as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to music and film. Similarly, Latin pop acts such as Bad Bunny and Rosalia have become increasingly popular in the West, bagging a staggering nine hundred million and one billion views on their songs “Mia” and “Con Altura”, respectively (Via: billboard). It seems that people are becoming more willing to take the time to watch and listen to things in a different language and look up the lyrics. One can only wonder why?

I believe that people are taking an interest in foreign media because it offers something new. People can gain insight into different cultures and languages, which are often far from the usual tropes in film, television and music seen in their own cultural climate. While the West does have some formidable artists, Bong is right in saying that you only see so much when going with what you know. As humans, we are constantly looking to see something new and interesting, and the success of South Korean sensations, Bong Joon Ho and BTS, in their respective fields prove that.

Art is a universal language and one does not need to be fluent in a particular language in order to appreciate it – and it’s about time the world realises that.