Oscars in Los Angeles – “Parasite” honored as best picture

Renée Zellweger received the award for the best female lead (“Judy”). Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”) was honored as the best male leading actor. Phoenix delivered an exceptionally engaging acceptance speech:

The director’s Oscar went to “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho. The South Korean flick won a total of four Oscars, including Best Picture. This is the first time a non-English language production has triumphed in the top category of the Academy Awards. Bong Joon-ho was overwhelmed in his acceptance speech, honoring industry giants like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino and Sam Mendes.

Our film critic Patrick Wellinski applauds the triumph of “Parasite.” The social satire, in which a poor family infiltrates a rich one, deals with a topic that everyone might relate to: “Class society, injustice, that not only has something to do with South Korea today, it also has something to do with Berlin-Mitte do or with New York.” In addition, “Parasite” covers the entire spectrum of cinema, being comedy, drama and horror film all at the same time.

In addition, Wellinski sees Bong Joon-ho’s film as a “glimmer of hope” for cinema in general. Because the film works according to patterns that Hollywood invented but is currently unable to implement: “This industry is in a crisis. You don’t know what you have to produce. You play it safe.”

Wellinski now hopes that “Parasite” will inspire Hollywood: “Hollywood sees: Parasite is not a comic book adaptation, Parasite is not a remake, Parasite is not a franchise, Parasite is not from Disney.” In October, Wellinski spoke to the director regarding his film in our cinema program “Vollbild”. You can hear the conversation here:

Among other things, “Parasite” eclipsed the World War II epic “1917”, which had been considered a big Oscar favorite. The war drama won three Oscars: it won for sound mixing and best special effects, and Roger Deakins won best cinematography.

Brad Pitt and Laura Dern won Oscars for Best Supporting Actor. Pitt was recognized for his role in the Tarantino film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, and Dern for director Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. It was Pitt and Dern’s first acting Oscars.

“Joker” started the race with eleven nominations. “The Irishman”, “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” and “1917” followed with ten nominations each. “Jojo Rabbit”, “Little Women”, “Marriage Story” and “Parasite” each received six nominations.

The Oscars were awarded for the 92nd time in Los Angeles. The grand prize for “Parasite” is also a sign of a change of heart – Hollywood has recently been increasingly criticized for being too old, too white and too male.