ParasitedirectorBong Joon-hoand starSong Kang-hojoinedFor Your ConsiderationhostScott Mantzto discuss their six-time Oscar nominee as part of the FYC Screening Series at ArcLight Cinemas this week.
Parasiteis Song’s fourth film with director Bong, and the actor talked about how their relationship has evolved over the years, as well as what makes Bong a great director. Before they first worked together onMemories of Murder, director Bong was worried whether he could earn a living, but when Song signed on, he got the film financed, and allowed Bong to start his filmmaking career.
Bong said that he started writingParasitein 2013 during post-production onSnowpiercer, another film about the gap between the rich and the poor, so at the time, he was captivated by the theme of class and eager to explore it further on the big screen. It wasn’t until years later that he came up with the idea of a couple living in a secret basement beneath the home.
Director Bong said that when he wroteMother, he had already settled on the last scene, so the writing process was about tailoring the story to get to that point. WithParasite, however, the story presented itself to him as he wrote it, so the end wasn’t necessarily planned out, though it eventually came to him like a waterfall.
Bong joked that he’s had a lot of downtime in between promotional stops forParasite, and that he’s kept himself buying by watching lots of movies and catching up with the latest season ofFleabag.
While Song wasn’t nominated for Best Supporting Actor to the dismay of many critics, Bong was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and the two of them talked about how honored they were to see Parasite nominated for six Academy Awards, including South Korea’s first nomination for Best International Film, which it is expected to win.
Watch the full Q&A above, and stay tuned for upcomingFYCinterviews with the teams behindUsandJojo Rabbit. And don’t forget towatch the latest episodeofFor Your Consideration, which takes an in-depth look at this year’s Oscar nominations. If you haven’t seenParasiteyet,click hereto readGregory Ellwood’sA-minus review, and after that pieced has convinced you to give it a chance, come back and check outMatt Goldberg’sexplanation on the ending.
