Bong Joon-ho’s seething satire of economic privilege and class disparities became the first non-English language film to win Best Picture in the Academy Awards’ 92-year history Sunday, also walking away with the night’s largest Oscars haul.
The black comedy thriller of a grifter family that one-by-one connives their way into the home of a wealthy household in South Korea also won Best Original Screenplay, International Feature Film and Director.
Accepting the Best Director Oscar, Bong highlighted his fellow nominee, Martin Scorsese, who he said inspired him while he was studying cinema with the quote “the most personal is the most creative.”
The reference brought the star-studded room to its feet in celebration of the storied director, as Bong went on to call for applause in Scorsese’s honor before recognizing Quentin Tarantino, who was nominated for Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, saying Tarantino worked to promote his films before Bong became a household name.
“Just to be nominated is an honor. I never thought I would win,” Bong said. “If the Academy allows, I would like to get a Texas chainsaw, split the Oscar trophy into five and share it with all of you,” he added, using a reference to the 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Beyond Parasite, Sam Mendes’ World War I epic 1917 won three awards, including Visual Effects, Sound Mixing and Cinematography, while Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood won for Best Supporting Actor and Production Design.
Joaquin Phoenix also became the second actor to win Best Actor for his portrayal of Batman’s arch-nemesis, the Joker. Heath Ledger was honored with the award posthumously in 2009 for his performance in the Dark Knight.
Phoenix portrayed Arthur Fleck as a clown for hire who transforms into the genesis of what would become the Clown Prince of Crime.
Joker also won for Best Original Score, taking home a total of two Oscars after being the most-heavily nominated film in this year’s field with 11 nods.
Netflix’s epic gangster film The Irishman walked away empty-handed Sunday night after being nominated in 10 categories.
Renee Zellweger won Best Lead Actress for her portrayal of Judy Garland in the biopic Judy.
