‘Parasites’ makes history and wins the Oscar for best film

Hollywood looks outside its borders and rewards the latest Palme d’Or in Cannes, which after passing through the original version in Spanish theaters, arrives this Friday on the auteur film platform Filmin. Its protagonists are a poor family that gradually infiltrates the mansion of another rich one, as if they were parasites that suck the blood of an animal. A intelligent and devastating analysis of the class struggle in a country surrendered to technology and the most extreme capitalism, which is experiencing an explosion of creativity in all areas. When he collected his Golden Globe a few weeks ago, Bong Joon-ho already warned about everything that audiences who are not willing to watch a movie with subtitles were missing. His victory certifies the open-mindedness of an industry which has always been nourished by foreign talent and which enthrones a director who until now was more typical of fantasy film competitions.

Penélope Cruz not only presented the Oscar for best foreign film, but also revealed her cinephile influences in a beautiful video about the films that had taken the most away from her throughout her life in a vindication of the power of cinema as a universal language. Unfortunately, when she tore the envelope she couldn’t scream “Peeedrooo!” and ‘Parasites’ won over ‘Pain and Glory’ as announced. Bong Joon-ho was happy to debut this new Oscar title for “international” film instead of “foreign language” and announced that she would celebrate by drinking until dawn. Then he had to go out again to collect the award for best director, the first big surprise of the night. He thanked Martin Scorsese for his teaching, who greeted the audience standing up. «When he studied film we analyzed Scorsese’s films. And when I started and no one knew me, Quentin Tarantino put my films on his favorite lists. “I would like to have an electric saw to divide the Oscar,” he thanked. If after winning the Palme d’Or in Cannes he was greeted by 3,000 compatriots at the Seoul airport, when he arrives with his four Oscars under his arm the country could collapse.

Joaquin Phoenix was the best actor for ‘Joker’ beating Antonio Banderas, who showed what a good actor he is when they focused on him when opening the envelope. The insane protagonist of the film that ends the superhero genre, the second highest-grossing film of the year after ‘The Lion King’, went up with a serious face to collect his first statuette after four nominations. His was the most political speech of the night: “Let’s talk about gender inequality, racism, the LGBT struggle… One people does not have the right to exploit another with impunity,” his rally started. Vegan since he was a child, he even talked about calves removed from cows and climate change and acknowledged that he had been “a scoundrel” and a “difficult guy” at his job, who had nevertheless always enjoyed a second chance. AND remembered his brother River Phoenix, died of an overdose at the age of 23, with a verse from a song composed by the actor: “Run to the rescue and peace will come later.” Renée Zellweger enters her fifties after a self-imposed retirement with her second Oscar (she has another of hers as a supporting actress for ‘Cold Mountain’) for a role designed for the Oscar, that of a decrepit Judy Garland in ‘Judy’ . “She did not receive this honor in her lifetime, this is her legacy because her generosity of spirit transcends,” she recalled.

Brad Pitt was the best supporting actor as sung by ‘Once upon a time in… Hollywood’ after sweeping the awards season and demonstrating when he went up to collect them that the charisma that comes from his specialist character in Tarantino’s film draws a lot from his own person. At 56 years old, Angelina Jolie’s ex-husband achieves her first statuette as a performer, since she had one as a producer of ’12 Years a Slave’. In his speech he was not as witty as on previous occasions and he dedicated it to her six children, “who motivate me in everything I do.” More exciting was the reminder of Laura Dern, best supporting actress, to her parents, veterans Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern, when she went up to collect another announced Oscar. Her character as her cynical and experienced lawyer in ‘Story of a marriage’ It is a candy that David Lynch’s muse has not wasted.

‘Klaus’ It could not make history for Spanish cinema and, after becoming the favorite for the animation Oscar in recent days, it saw how the very boring ‘Toy Story 4’ snatched it away from it. David could not this time against Goliath and Disney-Pixar adds a new statuette to the long list it has. The nomination for the film Sergio Pablos, filmed in a Madrid studio by 250 professionals of 27 nationalities over a year and a half, rewards the great moment of Spanish animation. He best documentary of the night was also predictable: ‘American Factory’. The first fruit of the million-dollar agreement that the Obama couple has signed with Netflix is ​​an exemplary testimony about the cultural shock that occurs when a Chinese company sets up shop in Ohio and hires former General Motors employees. At the antipodes of Michael Moore’s sensationalist cinema, ‘American Factory’ It shows that the pride of the working class, the ethic of a job well done and the power of unions belong to the past.

The 92nd Academy Awards gala provided a few moments that went viral, now that the ceremonies are followed with one eye on the screen and the other on social networks. Natalie Portman On the red carpet, she wore a Dior cape with the names of directors who have not been nominated this year in an elegant feminist demand. The performance of Eminemwho in his day did not even attend the Oscars after winning one for his song ‘8 miles’ When he fell asleep on the couch, he made the audience dance while Scorsese, in the company of his daughter, had the same strange expression in his seat that superhero movies provoke in him. The grimace of Billie Eilish When Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig broke into song, it also created endless memes. She later redeemed herself by singing ‘Yesterday’ in ‘In memoriam’, which she concluded, of course, with the photograph of Kirk Douglas. The close-ups of Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, sitting next to the stage, rewarded the Spanish spectators for the disappointment of the absence of awards.

As happened last year, the gala had no presenter beyond the couples of actors who presented the awards. Steve Martin y Chris Rock They appeared at the beginning of the party claiming that they had been “demoted” because before they were the masters of ceremonies. The lack of diversity, the great claim that hovered over the entire ceremony, starred in some of the couple’s jokes. “There is a lack of vaginas among the nominated directors,” denounced Chris Rock, provoking applause from those present, while Steve Martin ironically stated how much the Oscars had changed since their first edition in 1929. “Then there was no black actor nominated, this year there is one,” Rock responded. The long-awaited appearance of our Gisela to sing the theme of ‘Frozen 2’ alongside artists from many other countries was marred by the labels of the American broadcast, which awarded the singer the status of “Castilian” while the Mexican Carmen Sarahí They called her “Spanish.” They were the first Oscars with a conductor in the pit, although only when she had to announce the best soundtrack: ‘Joker’, by the Icelandic cellist Hildur Gudnadottiralso the author of the ominous music of ‘Chernobyl’, which encouraged all women to raise their voices: “We need to hear you,” she pleaded.