Film News: 2019 Best Picture of Chicago Film Critics Association is ‘Parasite’

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CHICAGO – “Parasite,” a South Korean film with themes of class warfare, struck a chord at the 2019 Chicago Film Critic’s Association (CFCA) Awards, garnering Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director (for Bong Joon Ho) and Best Original Screenplay.

2019 CFCA Best Picture is Bong Joon Ho’s ‘Parasite’
Photo credit: Neon

Writer/Director Bong Joon Ho’s seventh feature film continues his exploration into human nature and circumstances. A down-and-out family catches a break when one of their members scores a tutoring gig with a wealthy family. This opens the floodgates for the rest of the clan, as they fill every domestic position (housekeeper, driver, etc.) in the home, and essentially create an absurdist situation worthy of high comedy. The tone shifts in the second half of the film, but is no less compelling. “Parasite” also won the Palme d’Or (Best Film) at the Cannes Film Festival.

The awards were announced on December 14th, 2019, at the Association’s annual dinner. Greta Gerwig felt the love from the CFCA as her adaptation of “Little Women” tied “Parasite” for most awards with four (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design and Best Supporting Actress for Florence Pugh). The other actor awards were Best Actress Lupita Nyong’o for “Us,” Best Actor Adam Driver for “Marriage Story” and Best Supporting Actor Brad Pitt for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

The 2019 Chicago Film Critic’s Association Awards Were Announced December 14th, 2019
Photo credit: ChicagoFilmCritics.org

The complete list of the 2019 CFCA Awardees are as follows …

BEST PICTURE: ‘Parasite”
BEST DIRECTOR: Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”
BEST ACTOR: Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
BEST ACTRESS: Lupita Nyong’o, “Us”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: “Parasite” by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: “Little Women” by Greta Gerwig
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: “Parasite”
BEST DOCUMENTARY: “Apollo 11”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “Toy Story 4”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Roger Deakins, “1917”
(Presented by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com)
BEST EDITING: Thelma Schoonmaker, “The Irishman”
BEST ART DIRECTION: “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: “Little Women”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Alexandre Desplat, “Little Women”
BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS: “Ad Astra”
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Aisling Franciosi, “The Nightingale”
MILOS STEHLIK BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER AWARD: Lulu Wang, “The Farewell”

By PATRICK McDONALD Writer, Editorial Coordinator HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com