After what many would consider a down year for the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, the festival is returning in 2019 with a vengeance. With a stacked roster of filmmakers and films, this year’s event seems poised to be one for the ages. And one of the selections in this year’s official competition comes from filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, titled “Parasite.”
While speaking at an event in Seoul this weekend, the filmmaker discussed his excitement about being selected for Cannes, and why he’s not so sure how his film will be received by the critics at the French event.
“Cannes always makes me feel excited, fresh, and nervous. I am very happy to premiere my film, which took so much work, at the hottest, most passionate place,” Bong said (via Variety). “But I doubt whether the film could be 100% understood [by foreign audiences]. ‘Parasite’ is full of details and nuances that are specific to Koreans. I think the film’s Korean premiere after Cannes will be the most exciting moment for me.”
And perhaps because of this feeling, it shouldn’t be so much of a surprise that the acclaimed filmmaker doesn’t have high hopes for his film’s chances at winning the coveted Palme d’Or next month.
“‘Parasite’ is not very likely to win the competition in Cannes, because there are many films by great directors,” said the director. “But the actors have a higher chance of winning something.”
While he may be downplaying his own skill behind the camera, there’s no denying that this year’s official competition is stacked. Filmmakers like Jim Jarmusch, Terrence Malick, Pedro Almodovar, Xavier Dolan, and Celine Sciamma are just several of the amazing folks entering films at this year’s Cannes. Also, as the Cannes director said, there’s a chance that two or three more films could be in the competition by the time the festival begins next month.
That being said, there’s a ton of hype and buzz surrounding the South Korean filmmaker’s latest work. There’s not a whole lot we know about “Parasite” yet, outside of a Korean-language trailer and some very vague descriptions. But Bong does attempt to explain one of the themes he was attempting to show in the project.
“‘Parasite’ is a story of two families from extremely different environments coming across each other. It deals with the laughter, the horror and the sorrow of people living together,” Bong explained. “It might sound self-contradicting, but the different backgrounds of the two families also mirror the universal gap between rich and the poor.”
“Parasite” will debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which begins on May 14.