Mayank Shekhar mayank. shekhar@ mid- day. com Whether on social media or offline, one of the things I find sorely missing in all conversations on Bong Joon- hou2019s Parasite is how playfully the picture is plotted. People come out ruminating far more on the intensity of class- divide that the movie strikingly shines a light on. Donu2019t let that bog you down about Bongu2019s film.
Which is already in Korean, with English subtitles, picking up an unprecedented six Oscar nominations, including for the Best Foreign Language Film, that itu2019ll certainly take home.
I know how such a ru00e9sumu00e9 intimidates mainstream audiences.
Canu2019t reiterate more: Parasite is an out- and- out fun film u2014 to start and end with.
Now go catch it, whether or not it wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards on February 9, Sunday night ( Monday morning, for Indians).
For, the Oscars is not merely an award. Itu2019s a statement that the Academy makes, through the choice of its films, reflecting on the changing world. And the rich- poor divide expressed through Parasite is hardly a statement unique to 2020.
What is? Honestly, Taika Waititiu2019s splendid farce, Jojo Rabbit. Itu2019s about a little boy in Hitleru2019s Germany.
Unless youu2019ve been living under a rock, or in complete denial ( same thing), you know what the world is currently grappling with u2014 authoritarian leaderships, pushed to the top by a brainwashed band of cult- worshipping adults, spreading hate against an imagined u2018 otheru2019 that theyu2019ve been lulled into assuming the worst about. Thatu2019s Jojo Rabbit, as a film. Will it win? No.
Continued on page 16 Toughest race at the Oscars Making predictions for the Academy Awards, 2020, only reveals what a sterling year 2019 has been for Hollywood! Parasite ( above) and 1917 ( right) are the frontrunners for the Best Film nod
