It’s an odd feeling to wake up and not be mad at the Oscars, and it’s all because Parasite, Bong Joon Ho‘s incredible film about class and capitalism, took home the Academy Award for Best Picture (and several other awards) on Sunday evening. If Parasite was your first introduction to Bong’s body of work, we recommend checking out some of his other films, starting with his English-language debut, the 2013 film Snowpiercer starring Chris Evans and frequent Bong collaborator Song Kang-ho.
Available to stream on Netflix, Snowpiercer (which will soon become a TV show airing on TNT) is based on a French graphic novel. In the film, the Earth has become uninhabitable after an attempt to stop global warming led to a new ice age, and the last remaining members of humanity now live on a train that spans the globe and never stops. Evans (and his beard) stars as Curtis, a lower-class passenger who lives in the overcrowded tail of the train. At the urging of his father figure, John Hurt‘s Gilliam, he and Jamie Bell‘s Edgar launch a revolution with the goal of reaching the head of the train, where the wealthy live in lavish comfort.
Everything to Know About the Parasite HBO Series From Bong Joon Ho
Song, who has now appeared in four of Bong’s films, portrays Namgoong Minsoo, the specialist who designed the train’s security systems and who helps Curtis in his quest to reach the front of the train. Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Octavia Spencer, Go Ah-sung, and Alison Pill also star in the film, which received critical acclaim when it debuted — this despite the fact Harvey Weinstein bumped the movie down to a limited release when Bong refused to make the changes he wanted.
Once you finish Snowpiercer, which remains one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea, check out some of the other films that Bong has directed. Below, we’ve included where you can stream a selection.
Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000): Amazon (rent or purchase), Vudu (rent or purchase), FandangoNow (rent or purchase)
- Bong’s directorial debut is also available as a bundle with The Host and Mother on Vudu
An academic is driven to distraction by the barking dogs in his apartment complex and decides to do something about it in this bizarre black comedy film. (Honestly, you might not want to check out this film if you really love dogs.)
Memories of Murder (2003): Not currently available to stream
Detectives hunt for one of Korea’s most notorious serial killers in this crime drama for which Bong received international acclaim.
The Host (2006): Amazon (rent or purchase), Vudu (rent or purchase), FandangoNow (rent or purchase), GooglePlay
- Also available as a bundle with Barking Dogs Never Bite and Mother on Vudu
A father attempts to rescue his young daughter after she’s been taken by a creature in the river in this monster movie.
Mother (2009): Amazon (rent or purchase), Vudu (rent or purchase), FandangoNow (rent or purchase)
- Also available as a bundle with Barking Dogs Never Bite and The Host on Vudu
A woman attempts to clear her son, who has a learning disability, of what she believes to be a false murder charge in this film.
Snowpiercer (2013): Netflix, Amazon (rent or purchase), Vudu (rent or purchase), FandangoNow (rent or purchase), GooglePlay (rent or purchase)
A man attempts to lead a revolution against the wealthy in this film set on a train that circumnavigates the globe, but he eventually discovers things aren’t quite what they appear.
Okja (2017): Netflix
A young girl tries to save Okja, her pet super-pig, from a multinational corporation in this Netflix film.
Parasite (2019): Amazon Prime Video (rent or purchase), Vudu (rent or purchase), FandangoNow (rent or purchase), MoviesAnywhere (rent or purchase), and GooglePlay (rent or purchase)
A poor family schemes to infiltrate the well-off Park family by posing as skilled drivers, housekeepers, and tutors in this Academy Award-winning black comedy about greed and class.
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Chris Evans, Snowpiercer