2020 Oscars Challenge: [36] “Parasite” — Six Nominations

February 9, 2020 / Leave a Comment

by Christopher Haskell

PARASITE

Kwak Sin Ae | Bong Joon Ho

Greed, class discrimination and a mysterious interloper threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.

FRONT-RUNNER

Let’s just bask in the fact that absolutely no one nominated for this film has ever been nominated for an Academy Award before. Even the country of South Korea had yet to even gain a nomination. Now Bong Joon Ho and the rest of his crew can get their names in the history books. And “Parasite” is actually one of the Big Three, with runner-up status as we speak. The only reason it’s not front and center is because “1917” has been cleaning up the awards, from the PGA to the DGA to the Globes. “Parasite” has done well in its own right, winning the SAG Ensemble award as well as Best International Film at the Globes. It simply depends where the Academy leans. The category I think that will tell us the most, early on, is Best Original Screenplay. If Bong Joon Ho is able to pull off the win there, I definitely see the Best Picture category leaning toward “Parasite.” Bong is also the front-runner, with Sam Mendes, in the Best Directing category. Mendes has a leg up having won the DGA but there should be no counting out “Parasite.” Best Film Editing and Best Production Design are a toss up, as the Academy could just decide to award it everything, but it’s currently not the front-runner in either of those categories. However, it is locked for Best International Feature Film and if it doesn’t win there, people will riot.