'Parasite' (2019)

Genre: Drama

'1917' (2019)

Genre: War Drama

How to win an Oscar: Cinematic devices of Bong Joon-Ho’s ‘The Parasite’ and Sam Mendes’s ‘1917’

By Joey Ting

            Winning an Oscar trophy in the prestigious Hollywood award-giving body assures each of the filmmaker to finally rest on their laurels and pave the way for another chapter in their so-called artistic film careers. Having the speech onstage as one accepts the award is another daunting yet nerve-wracking obligation despite the prepared monologue and the long-list of gratitude to the artistic and production team of the film that has been recognized. Most especially, if the film announced as run-away winner comes from Asia, a transitionary evidence that this continent will rule the next phase of the world. As Daniel Pink’s book ‘A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers will rule the Future’ states, ‘In recent years, few issues have generated more controversy or stroked more anxiety than outsourcing. These four programmers and their counterparts throughout India, the Philippines, and China are scaring the bejeezus out of software engineers and other left-brain professionals in North America and Europe, triggering protests, boycotts, and plenty of political posturing.’

            In this time of the conceptual age where everyone cares about primarily of their ‘almost’ digitalized life, uniqueness and stamina are two providential characteristics significantly require to sustain the eligibility of being exceptional and genius in the industry of innovative cinema of the world. Brilliant filmmakers South Korean Bong Joon-Ho and British Sam Mendes have acquired it throughout their carefully-mapped out entertainment careers.

            ‘Parasite’ (2019) is an oxymoron where we all thought has something to do with another alien annihilation-type of a film since Bong’s highlighted filmography ranges from crime drama ‘Memories of Murder’ (2003) to a monster film ‘The Host’ (2006) to a post-apocalyptic dystopic thriller ‘Snowpiercer’ (2013) to genetically-modified superpig film ‘Okja’ (2017). His latest has become his most simply-made but socially-relevant to our times these days. The film basically touches on ‘poverty’ and how the victims of it such as, this protagonist family, have used their creativity and ability to bend norms in order to survive and live like real human beings in this decadent world. To indoctrinate the seamless plot, the film action moves like a wind and without the aesthetic disturbances and careless efforts of the filmmaker. Every element in the film has become an ally of the powerful story which made the cinematic experience so extraordinary and poignant, almost like an entirely Philippine-made. Thanks to National Artist for Film Lino Brocka for exceptionally woven the intricacies of social realities of Manila and the weeping characters to it. Bong’s revelation was that he got inspired from the works of Brocka in an interview he had for the film promotion of ‘Parasite.’ Bong has studied BA degree in Sociology at Yonsei University in S. Korea where he has become active as social activist who went out to streets to defend the victims of the hypocrisies of society.

            ‘1917’ (2019) is, obviously, a British epic war, an account of which was told by Mendes’s paternal grandfather Alfred Mendes. The two young soldiers have obliged to deliver an important message to stop the attack to the Germans as the soldier’s brother has to be saved from the massacre. Filmmaker Sam Mendes is known to be a theater director of many dark-themed approach productions such as his works in Cabaret (1994), Oliver (1994), Company (1995), Gypsy (2003), and has made a West-End hit musical The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013). His films later have become instant contemporary classics such as American Beauty (1999), Road to Perdition (2002), Revolutionary Road (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015). He has received recognitions from his body of work and pronounced as one of the outstanding film directors of the 21^st century by the Daily Telegraph and the Directors Guild of Great Britain. His film ‘1917’ has acquired almost a grand slam in international awards because of the film’s meritorious cinematic elements most especially its cinematographic properties and the filmic style of continuous shot and long takes conception. His story is equally brilliant as I see fit as its greatest strength as well as the actors who have portrayed the characters so natural and engaging. Therefore, summative of the film’s exceptionality and ingenuity.

The two films ‘Parasite’ and ‘1917’ have commonly used powerful devices that made it to winning in international awards and of course, to the hearts of millions of people who have seen it.

            First, the use of unity of time, place and action where the plot is of prominence. Urged by Greek philosopher and artist Aristotle in his seminal essay ‘The Poetics’ that drama should have the unity of time, place, and action. The film ‘Parasite’ has started the plot with the use of time (when the time-bound conflict and peripety has evolved as soon as the doorbell rings), place (where the action and tragedy takes places in the elegant mansion), and action (how the characters are intertwined and trapped to solve to its end). While, ‘1917’ sequentially tells the audiences of the three unities where the event of the war is macroscopically dissected using the two young soldiers in the film. Evident in the film, the conflict is in the time (as message is delivered in a given time otherwise), place (dangerous and destructive), and action (the only plotline curved to focus on the transfer of communication through messengers despite barriers and obstacles). Aristotle’s provocations have been transparent and obvious as successful devices in cinema.

            Second, the discursive ‘romantic realism’ as a device to substantiate the story, has been very evident in the two films. Despising poverty by the majority is an opposite to the films ‘Parasite’ and ‘1917’. The characters move freely without hindrances and obstacles, making it romantically realistic. In realities of life, major factors momentarily have stopped us from dreaming, hence, fulfilling our reachable dreams. In the film ‘parasite’, the family members – son, daughter, father, and mother – chronologically establishes their dream to overcome poverty through lies, falsifications, pretense, and killings. These wrong accentuations have instead become their allies in quest for ultimate happiness and contentment and romanticizing the wrong as right. In the film ‘1917’, the British trenches have been endangered with telegraphs cut and many dead soldiers seen everywhere but the two young British soldiers lance corporals Tom Blake and William Schofield, a survivor of Somme, are ordered by Gen. Erinmore to deliver an important message to Colonel Mackenzie of the second battalion of the Devonshire Regiment to call off a scheduled attack that would probably jeopardize the lives of 1600 men including Blake’s brother, Lieutenant Joseph Blake. In the two soldiers’ journey, like in a maze or characters from a current video game, it romantically provides the travails of the two overcoming the struggles, challenges,and difficulties no matter what happens. In the scene where the rats underground faulted the explosives by dropping it, the two hurdles the explosion, running hurriedly outside of the camp and nothing has paused them from handling the message. Romantic realism is defined as historian Jacques Barzun would state that ‘the romantic realist does not blink his weakness, but exerts his power’, a providential evidence to the two films marked to be exceptional.

            Third and the last, both films have tackled history, culture, and class struggle in very similar but different ways. Bong’s direction is diachronic in nature that the plot has evolved time urgently manifested into a preconceived time unity. His strong sense of culture is made universal, applying to even in Asian economic condition. Mendes’s direction is more synchronic in nature that the plot has also evolved time urgently manifested at a particular point in time, as synchronically used in history which defines the class struggles and cultures in military exercises such as war.

            Whichever one would choose to be its Best Picture as Oscar’s Best Director’s penultimate recognition, the pattern is emphasized, designed to propagate the success of innovation and development in history and culture of the world. Similar to Ms. Universe pageants where at times, the Americans and Europeans have been consistently recognized, and at varying times, the Asians are crowned and glorified. Film artists in all countries of the world, of course, would love to bring home a legacy and history like Bong Joon-Ho and Sam Mendes who tirelessly strive for the recognitions it deserves. Philippine cinema is just an inch away from winning the Oscar’s if not for Cannes, Venice, and Berlinale.