CREDIT: LAM LE
Opinion: We'll have to wait and see if the Oscars will continue to embrace diversity in the film industry.

After being characteristically predictable, the Oscars delivered a climactic twist to their award show this year by awarding Parasite as best picture.

History was created as Bong Joon-ho’s tragicomedy thriller is the first non-English language film to win best picture in the history of the Oscars.

But to South Korea, these awards mean more than that. The film also won the award for best international feature, best director and best original screenplay, bringing the tally to four awards. It was South Korea’s first nominated film and was up for six awards during the evening. For years now, South Korea has invested so much time and money into the so-called Korean Wave or Hallyu — K-drama, K-pop and Korean cinema. The accolades from the Academy are proof that this cultural wave has come crashing down on Hollywood.


Parasite also had an unbelievable weekend at the box office cashing in $8.8-million worth of ticket sales, 20 per cent of its total North American haul.

If you haven’t seen Parasite yet, you most definitely should. The storyline is about the divide between the rich and poor classes — a universal theme which has made it possible for this South Korean story to resonate with audiences around the world. This vision is brought to life by an all-star and experienced South Korean cast who take us through plot twists which keep us guessing right until the very end.

Bong Joon-ho’s film is about an impoverished family who infiltrate the household of a wealthier one, sort of like a parasite. Infused with peach poisoning and Morse code — Parasite is so good and so unexpected.

The Academy’s recent attempts to expand its membership are indeed paying dividends. After much backlash, the Academy has made several attempts to be inclusive; however, some may argue that they’re not there yet. The backlash was attributed to the fact only one person of colour (Cynthia Erivo of Harriet) was nominated for an acting award. This could help explain Parasite’s unprecedented win.

Much has been made of the new voters’ diversity in terms of race, gender, and age, but another effect of the rapid expansion is that the Academy is also much more global than it used to be; nearly one-fifth of the membership is now international. The overall inclusion is great, but it certainly felt like something strategic the Academy was doing in order to quell the criticisms it’d faced leading up to the show.

Does this mean the Oscars have finally changed with the times or is it just trying to make up for its bad reputation? I guess we’ll have to wait a few years to find out.
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