Australia, ‘Parasite’ Is Available Pretty Much Everywhere

Parasite is rightfully leeching the internet’s collective attention right now after its historic, slightly surprising Best Picture win at the 2020 Oscars.

Between the accolades and the mass sweeping of love for anything Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho (Okja, The Host, Snowpiercer) does (same with his translator, Susan Choi), there is the predictable piss-baby anger over a foreign film winning above Joker. Plus, there’s a lot of people saying that since they’ve never even heard of it, how could it win?

But if you’ve been living under a rock (how metaphorical!) and haven’t caught 2019’s best film, you’re in luck.

For the un-initiated, Parasite follows a poor Korean family as they scam their way into all working in the luxurious home of the ridiculously wealthy Park family. It’s an incredibly funny, shocking ride, and we won’t say more — as Bong told us when we chatted to him in June, it’s best to go into the film pretty much blind.

And it was the sweeping winner of the Oscars, picking up four trophies: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Foreign Film and Best Original Screenplay. In response, Bong made his trophies kiss like they were Barbie dolls.

Despite being in Australian cinemas since last June, Parasite is still going strong.

After 34 weeks of consecutive screening, the film’s expanding to 90 cinemas this week (via News.com.au journalist Wenlei Ma). Considering that these sorts of streaks are normally resigned to the likes of Avengers: Endgame, it’s a testament to the film that it’s found a strong audience, predominantly through word of mouth.

You can check Flicks.com.au to see where it’s playing, from Alice Springs to Hobart, and it’s also screening in black and white in select cinemas — a viewing experience Bong said made the film “more realistic and sharp, as if I was being cut by a blade”.

And if you’re out of cinema range, the film’s available to rent and buy on iTunes, YouTube and Google Play, or you could always buy the Blu-ray. No excuses: go see it.