Surprising just about every single film lover on the planet Parasite scooped the Best Film award.
A film fully deserving but an award that no one saw coming.
The tides turned when Parasite picked up the Original Screenplay award. Then there was no doubt in my mind who was picking up that Best Film title!
In this below feature Rutger Bruining, CEO of biography-writing service StoryTerrace, discusses why personal storytelling in cinema is so effective.
Parasite Oscar Win
History was made last night at the Oscars.
Parasite, the dark satirical thriller from South Korea’s Bong Joon Ho, became the first non-English language film to take home Best Picture.
The movie also scooped three other awards including Best Original Screenplay.
Check out our Oscar nomination predictions to see how many we got right
What many people don’t know, however, is that the premise was inspired by the personal experiences of the director himself.
The plot of the film follows the journey of two families from opposite ends of the social and economic spectrum. Families whose lives become entwined when members of the Kim family infiltrate the wealthy Park family to find work.
The film explores how both families act as parasites. With the Kims benefitting from the Parks’ wealth, while the Parks exploit the Kims for cheap labor.
Check out our Parasite Review
Before Bong became a world-famous Oscar-winning director he took a job in his early 20’s as a maths tutor for a wealthy family in Seoul. Bong had grown up in a far poorer environment.
In the movie, the Kim family first infiltrate the Parks in the exact same way. The Kim children become tutors for the Park family children.
Bong has now drawn upon his real-life experiences to create one of the world’s most successful non-English language films.
He will forever be remembered in the filmmaking history books as a result, as will the film inspired by his personal history.
Parasite’s historic achievement shows the power that individual, real-life personal stories can hold, rising atop the best that Hollywood could offer to captivate and amaze audiences across the globe.
Rutger Bruining, CEO of professional biography-writing service StoryTerrace, is well aware of the importance and power of personal storytelling. As the creator of a company that has documented the life stories of thousands of people, Rutger understands the true power of personal, real-life stories, and emphasizes the value of having a platform from which to share them.
Now, he shares his insight into what makes personal stories so interesting to audiences and why we should share our own.
Rutger Bruining said:
“The success of Parasite at the Oscars was wonderful to see. It did not come as a surprise to me by any means.
It is a brilliantly realised film. Knowing that the director has drawn upon his own life experience to form the premise of the film gives it a raw accessibility unlike most other commercially successful films you see today.
Having worked with a variety of professional writers to document thousands of life stories. I have been fortunate enough to get an inside look into many incredible lives, and time and again I find myself amazed at the unbelievable journeys lived by everyday people.
So many of us out there have experienced truly astounding journeys, the stories of which would undoubtedly provide a source of inspiration and strength for those around us, if we were to share them.
Now that films based on personal storytelling, such as Parasite, 1917 and Joker, have proved to be so successful in mainstream cinema, it is my hope that more people will be encouraged to share their own life stories with their friends and family.
I believe that everybody’s life is interesting and is worth learning about – you simply have to ask the right questions and take the time to listen.”
In Conclusion
I want to express a huge congratulations to the team on their Parasite oscar win.
Thank you for making such a wonderful movie and most importantly, thank you for beating 1917.
