I mean, it was a good movie, but...

Well it was put forward by its country as Best International Film and that award technically goes to South Korea, not to Bong or his team, although of course he collects it.

It won the other categories on its own merits. The love for the film in the room was palpable - people just really love this movie. A non-English film was going to win eventually, given the reforms in membership and voting system in recent years - I am personally overjoyed that the film that broke this barrier also happens to be IMO the best film to win Best Picture so far this century.

Yes, that's obvious, Exatera.

I expect it'll become a kind of 90-day Wonder. Because now that Hollyweird has done its "duty" and given it their conspicuous flattery to annoy your President, people will relax. The masses have been reassured, the bread and circuses theory has once again been proven.

I thought the best film of last year was The Lighthouse and Willem Dafoe should have got a supporting nomination but what do I know.

Agree with you. It was far from deserving best picture; worth only for Best Foreign Film. Infact, 'Life is Beautiful' was much more deserving foreign film to win best picture & which sadly got defeated by 'Shakespeare in Love'.

It had good cinematography, direction, acting and very good production design. But the film didn't have any level of greatness or any extra-ordinary aspect, rather it was a one-time watch mix of contemporary story lines.

Its laughable to see some people hailing it as a great movie going 'Whoa!....its a movie about class difference...OMG....rich and poor stuff.....Wow!' as if movies about rich & poor were never made.

The first half is a typical con-men movie about a con-family invading (infecting a host as Parasite, subtle symbolism check) a rich family. Influences from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels & The Heartbreakers are evident.

The sudden twist of a new character hiding in basement/bunker is a straight away influence from the Spanish movie 'The Hidden Face' & the Hollywood movie 'Don't Breathe'.

Second half is a self-indulgent psychological horror where it falls into character inconsistencies. A group of smart people capable to think & scheme a contrived plan to employ themselves in a rich family gets suddenly emotional and takes poor decisions. Suddenly falling in love with a rock, entering the basement of enemies all alone, asking a personal question once again after being warned once etc.

Infact a smart person like Kim Ki Taek who knows how to plan, lie & motivate people is a type of person who have seen the world and also knows his boundary in master-servant relationship. This person should have easily understood that Park doesn't like to chat personal stuffs and now if he wants to continue to reap the benefits, he has to stay mum & maintain decorum. But no, he farts again!

I mean, he should even know that a simple deodorant could have solved his odour problem. Had his character been the weakest of Kim family i.e. timid, emotional & not smart enough like rest of the members, his actions would have made sense.

The sheer hatred, antagonism, animosity to kill Mr. Park wasn't established or rather justified. The movie ended up as a self-indulgent drama. I know some simpletons here will grasp at straws to find relevance & symbolisms by saying 'I didn't see any problem to relate the end....it happens to poor people....blahblahblah' But the fact is that the script was a bit poor which brings the point that even the 'Best Screenplay' was undeserving.

Otherwise a very good movie from a great director (Memories of Murder, The Host, The Mother)
Overall...6.5/10.

Presenting a straw man. You just didn't get it.

I guess your main gripe is its oscars success....since when that piece of crap statuette stands for "great work of art"? it is always been a POPULARITY CONTEST, this was this year flavor of the month.

I agree but it definitely was better than The Shape of Water. That was horrible!

Why is it that whenever someone doesn’t like a critically acclaimed film as much as everyone else, they can’t say “meh, it wasn’t for me” and instead accuse all of its acclaim and awards on fixed political agendas?

I’m sorry you can’t see the genius in Parasite. Let the rest of us see it for you then.