Becoming More Known, Bong Joon Ho's 'PARASITE' Tells His Struggles as a Director

Kapanlagi.com - On February 10th, South Korea once again made its mark with its increasingly recognized film PARASITE. This film won 4 awards at the 92nd Academy Awards. This achievement is certainly not far from the impressive work of director Bong Joon Ho.

According to Soompi, he began to share his struggles as a director. It is through his various films that his hard work started to pay off. Here are some facts about director Bong Joon Ho.

1. Learning from Western Films

Bong Joon Ho © The Academy

The director admitted that he was initially obsessed with foreign films shown on television. He even memorized the schedule of every film that would be aired. He said, "On Friday nights, the American military channel would show many erotic or violent films. While on weekends, I would watch all the classic films."

Bong Joon Ho added, "I wanted to learn about films, so I wanted to learn a lot. I watched the same film dozens of times and studied it." Even when he joined the film club in school, he once sold donuts for 6 months to buy a camera. "Even after getting that camera, I always hugged it."

2. Almost Gave Up

Bong Joon Ho © The Academy

Bong Joon Ho revealed, "I got married in 1995 and before the success of the film MEMORIES OF MURDER in 2003, I went through a difficult life. I even had help from my college friends to get a meal."

When asked if he ever gave up while making a film, he said, "In 1998, I discussed it with my wife. I begged to be given one more year. Then I saved up enough money for one year."

After the success of MEMORIES OF MURDER in 2003, director Bong Joon Ho continued with films like THE HOST (2003), MOTHER (2009), SNOWPIERCER (2013), OKJA (2017), and PARASITE. It was the latter film that made history as a director, gaining recognition by winning several awards at the Academy Awards.

(soo/lmp)