It’s so metaphorical! Parasite wins Best Picture, Bong Joon-ho named Best Director

This is the happiest I have ever been to be so wrong in my predictions. Parasite, a South Korean thriller about class warfare, is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture of 2019. With no shame, I tell you I jumped out of my seat. I cheered from the couch in my living room, a mere 2.5 miles down the road from where the big night was taking place. There is shock, confusion, elation, and appreciation, all running through my mind at once in celebration of the Best Picture of the year and one of the best Best Picture winners in history.

Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece took home four awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature, and Best Director for the man of the hour. Some films are undeniable. The stats and precursors and every bit of intuition in the world said 1917, a wonderful war picture that would have been a handsome if unadventurous winner. But some films are undeniable. 12 Years a Slave was undeniable. Moonlight was undeniable. Parasite is undeniable.

The show began with a lovely opening number by Janelle Monáe, who came out dressed as Mr. Rogers (with Tom Hanks seated in the front row, no less) and invited the Academy and all of us at home to be her neighbor. Then she blew the roof off the Dolby Theatre (located on Hollywood and Highland, as the broadcast reminded us several times, cross streets that meant nothing to me before I moved here a year ago). It was a fun, high-energy start to a show that nominally had no host.

Steve Martin and Chris Rock, both former Oscar hosts, came out to deliver the traditional opening “monologue” (yeah, I know, two people is a dialogue). They got in a few good jokes, but the timing was creaky, and as much as I love Martin, one wonders why Rock could not have handled the task himself. Rock’s barbs at the industry’s ongoing problems with race were pointed and hilarious. It set a tone that left little place for older white male Martin. But, like that, they were gone, and it was on to the awards.

Brad Pitt won the first Oscar of the night and seemed genuinely overwhelmed at the recognition and support of his peers. All of the acting awards went as planned, with Pitt and Laura Dern winning the respective supporting categories and Renée Zelwegger and Joaquin Phoenix taking the lead awards. Phoenix’s speech was heartfelt, sincere and progressive before he ended with a touching tribute to his late brother, River. The best part of Dern’s win was her mom, Hollywood legend Dianne Ladd, tearing up throughout the entire speech.

The award for best speech of the night, however, goes to Joker composer Hildur Guðanóttir, whose joy and gratitude were evident and who made a powerful appeal to her fellow female composers to make themselves heard. Guðanóttir is the first woman in Academy history to win the award for Best Original Score, and of course, it is about time.

I would say two of the five Original Song nominee performances were truly lovely, and the others just fine. Double nominee Cynthia Erivo’s performance of “Stand Up” was a powerful moment in the room, and there was something moving about seeing Elsas from around the world perform “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II alongside Idina Menzel. We probably could have done without multiple references to the infamous John Travolta “Adele Dazeem” gaffe, but low-hanging fruit is always likely to be picked.

Billy Eilish’s rendition of “Yesterday” for the In Memoriam segment was understated and respectful, while the other major musical performance we got was the most baffling moment of the night. I would put Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” performance this year alongside the Sound of Music medley from a few years back among the most unmotivated and completely dispensable Oscar moments ever. All I can think is the Academy was attempting to right the wrong of Eminem not performing his Oscar-winning song on the broadcast the year he won the award. So, on this, the 17th anniversary of that win, he got the stage. He was okay, but when people complain about the length of the Oscars, it is stuff like this that is so indefensible.

Of course, I was bummed at the Best Adapted Screenplay win for Jojo Rabbit, though it is difficult to begrudge an award to Taika Waititi, who seems like a lovely person. But the near-shutout for Little Women, which won only Costume Design, stings. I take solace in the knowledge that somewhere down the line, Greta Gerwig will direct a film that is, as we are saying, undeniable, and it will sweep everything. I look forward to that day.

Speaking of shutouts, The Irishman went 0-for-10, joining only five other films to match or surpass that goose egg, including Martin Scorsese’s own Gangs of New York. In a particularly cruel irony, one of the awards Gangs of New York was supposed to be a lock for was Best Original Song, “The Hands That Built America” by U2. That song lost to – you guessed it – “Lose Yourself.”

But while Scorsese’s film won nothing, the winners’ speeches were not short on love and admiration for the legendary auteur, who seemed humbled and appreciative of all the recognition. That included Best Director Bong, who shouted out Scorsese as a major inspiration. Bong also made special mention of Quentin Tarantino, who has long been a champion of the Korean director’s work.

I imagine the show ran a little long for some of the more casual viewers, but when Spike Lee read out Bong Joon-ho’s name for Best Director in lull in the telecast was immediately erased by a fresh wave of optimism and enthusiasm. Though the film won Best Original Screenplay, it was passed over in Editing and Production Design, so it looked like Parasite might be relegated to Best International Feature. Then Best Director happened and anything seemed possible. But until Jane Fonda read out the top award, pausing for effect like the pro she is, it didn’t seem real.

I have been watching the Oscars telecast with serious interest for 19 years, and I can count on one hand the number of moments of pure bliss the show has delivered me. Phillip Seymour Hoffman winning Best Actor in 2005. The two-shot of Lupita Nyong’o as Best Supporting Actress and 12 Years a Slave as Best Picture in 2013. Olivia Colman for Best Actress last year. And now, the Parasite sweep of 2019.

There is more to say, more to write, and we will probably go over all of it, the larger context, what this means for the future of the Academy, etc., but for now, I will enjoy my sparkling wine and toast to Parasite, the best picture of the year.