America showed the world one of the things that it does best during the 92nd annual Academy Awards on Sunday night. Celebrating film with an internationally-televised, star-studded presentation, the country demonstrated beyond a doubt that the best movies on earth come from nowhere else but the good old US of A.
Unless, of course, we’re talking about a class-based drama from North Korea called Parasite.
And in many ways, that’s even better.
The film that won four Oscars roused the audience to its feet on several occasions. When Bong Joon Ho accepted his award for Best Director, he brought them to their feet once again by recognizing Martin Scorsese for creating some of the work that he studied as a film student.
Then he thanked Quentin Tarantino for helping him gain popularity with American audiences and told the director, “I love you.” Then he offered to share the Oscar statue with fellow directors Sam Mendes, Todd Philips and the rest of the nominees by chain-sawing it into five parts.
And then everybody cheered some more.
The victories won by Bong Joon Ho and the cast and crew of Parasite are not only a cause for celebration among every member of the film community, but also a win for the nation as a whole. By bringing joy and inspiration to millions of people around the world, American Cinema is one of the United States most effective means of diplomacy.
It’s also an exercise in thanking the people who help make movies possible, which is a great way to stay in shape.
ABC
BONG JOON HO ACCEPTS OSCAR FOR DIRECTING
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Shout-out to Chicago
And let’s not forget the Chicago directors who also helped the cause. Matthew Cherry celebrated an exponential number of worthy causes with Hair Love, the film that won Best Animated Short (co-directed with Everett Downing Jr.).
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert localized a global economic scenario into an Ohio automobile plant with American Factory, winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary.
American Factory is the first release from Higher Ground Productions, a company owned by a fledgeling, Chicago-based, husband-and-wife filmmaker couple named Michelle and Barack Obama.
Top photo: Bong Joon Ho at the 92nd annual Academy Awards
Send your film news to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
