Bong on Parasite success and shunning Marvel

TL;DR

Bong Joon-ho Interview: Bong discusses Parasite's awards success and class themes in a Times interview ahead of UK release.
$129m Box Office: Parasite earned $129m worldwide on $11m budget, with Bafta and Golden Globe wins.
Rejects Superheroes: Bong says he dislikes superheroes as stupid and prefers realistic characters beyond their capabilities.

The story at a glance

The Times interviews South Korean director Bong Joon-ho about his Palme d'Or-winning film Parasite amid its global box office and awards run. Bong explains the film's class divide story resonating worldwide and shares personal background plus disdain for superhero films. This comes as Oscar nominations loomed and UK release neared on February 7, 2020.

Key points

Parasite won Palme d'Or at Cannes, banked $129m worldwide on $11m budget, took Golden Globe for best foreign-language film, four Bafta nods, and US National Society of Film Critics top prize.
Film portrays poor family's infiltration of rich household, highlighting South Korean "dirt spoon" despair where poor youth see no upward path.
Bong links success to global class polarisation seen in yellow-vest protests, UK election divides, and Latin American riots.
Born middle-class with "bronze spoon," Bong drew from teen tutoring job for rich family; his house is one-fifth size of film's rich home.
Not a North Korea allegory despite script mentions; purely class-focused as South Korea grows richer, inequality feels sharper.
Bong jokes no Marvel offers coming, calls superheroes "a little stupid," prefers characters on impossible missions without hero-villain binaries.

Details and context

Parasite blends class satire with thriller elements, evoking Funny Games meets Rear Window but funnier and deeper. Bong notes its contemporary universality overcomes subtitle barriers, unlike past Palme winners with niche appeal.

South Korea's youth hopelessness stems from rigid wealth gaps; even as nation advances with K-pop and fast internet, poor feel universes apart from rich.

Bong's career spans 2003's Memories of Murder, monster hit The Host, Netflix's Okja; Parasite marks his biggest international breakout without chasing blockbusters.

Key quotes

“I don’t like superheroes at all. I think they’re a little stupid. I like characters who have to complete missions beyond their own capabilities.” — Bong Joon-ho

“Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to amazing films.” — Bong at Golden Globes

“This film doesn’t have any villains or heroes. Every character is nice to some degree and cowardly to some degree.” — Bong Joon-ho

Why it matters

Parasite's crossover success challenges film industry borders between foreign and mainstream awards categories. Viewers gain insight into shared global class tensions through Bong's precise, comedic lens on inequality. Watch Oscar results and any remake talks, though Bong sees no north-south metaphor.

FAQ

Q: Why does Bong think Parasite succeeded globally?

A: Its class story mirrors everyday realities like protests in France and Latin America, in a borderless capitalist world. Bong says no exotic elements like martial arts or monks; polarisation hits limits everywhere. Young Koreans' "dirt spoon" hopelessness drives the sad house-buying dream.

Q: What inspired Parasite's plot?

A: Bong tutored a rich family's son as a teen, sparking ideas of strangers in homes and snooping envy. The first half shows coveting the unaffordable; second brings consequences. His own middle-class rise contrasts the film's extremes.

Q: Why does Bong reject Marvel films?

A: He finds superheroes stupid and prefers realistic people on overmatched missions. No offers anyway; his characters mix nice, cowardly, weak, worldly traits without clear heroes or villains. Deadpans he'd do Star Wars but isn't asked.

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