Editorial: Oscar-winning South Korean film 'Parasite' touches American values

In a dramatic change for the Academy Awards, South Korean director Bong Joon Ho's film "Parasite," which depicts social disparity in South Korea, was awarded the Oscar for Best Picture -- the American film industry's top honor.

The award has long been held as a prize meant only for Hollywood products, favoring entertaining epics. In the 92 years of the Academy Awards' history, this is the first that it has gone to a foreign language film.

The movie tells the story of a poor family living in a semi-basement apartment, whose members gradually latch on to a wealthy family living in a mansion. The film contains surprising twists, and while bitterly criticizing the growth of disparity in society, it is also entertaining as a dark comedy.

South Korea had prepared the ground to create a work with a strong message, with the government supporting film production, although the use of subtitles created a high barrier for the film to achieve success in the United States. Nevertheless, despite starting at just three theaters in America, the movie went on to be shown at over 1,000 cinemas in the country and became a hit -- unusual for a foreign language film.

In addition to the film's entertainment value, it's poignant, universal message likely tugged at people's heartstrings. This is no doubt what allured audiences in the U.S. While the film is set in present-day South Korea, the themes of disparity and divisions that it touches on are not just limited to that country, or to Japan, but are also a tender spot for the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump.

On the big screen, Hollywood has embodied U.S. values like prosperity and dreams for the future. The fact that its representative prize was given to a social issues film from South Korea is an indication that the themes it covers cannot be ignored.

In recent years, films that cut their way into social problems with a hard-hitting message have had a strong presence in the film industry. The film "Joker," which vied with "Parasite" for Best Picture and went on to win the Best Actor award, entrusts the distortion of a society in which the weak are ostracized to a villain who is an American standup comic. In Japan, too, Hirokazu Kore-eda's film "Shoplifters," which similarly depicts economic disparity, won the top Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

In terms of box-office sales, however, anime titles and Disney films have an iron grip on the top spots in Japan. At present, there are no prospects of a social issue movie turning into a commercial success.

Even so, there are quite a few filmmakers who are making works with strong social elements. The success of "Parasite" will doubtlessly give the Japanese film industry a supportive push.