Of the nine films nominated for Best Motion Picture of the year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a whopping six were produced by studios (with Fox Searchlight, which released nominee Jojo Rabbit being a specialty arm of the 20th Century Fox studio, which in turn is owned by Disney), two were produced by Netflix, one, namely The Irishman, at massive cost, and only one really fits the bill of an independent movie, the Bong Joon-Ho gem Parasite.
In reaction to the accusation that only movies that nobody ever actually watches get nominated for Academy Awards, the Academy has clearly gone too far in the other direction this year, loading their slate with studio films, including one that was somewhat divisive among critics, and one which was picked from the carcass of Harvey Weinstein's empire in what feels distinctly like an effort at appeasement. And then there's the #oscarssowhite campaign, which was dusted off again this year in response to an apparent snub of actors of color in the nominations.
Parasite is one of only three films that I have seen that were nominated for Best Picture this year, the other two being Ford v. Ferrari (which I loved) and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (which I hated), and while as a fan of motorsport I enjoyed Ford v. Ferrari more than Parasite, I will readily concede that it is the latter film that deserves to walk away with the top prize from this year's Academy Awards, not just for its quality and awards pedigree, which are already reasons in and of themselves, but for an altogether different reason, namely what's at stake.
As dramatic as this may sound, the future of independent film may well depend on how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chooses to recognize Parasite.
Since Harvey Weinstein's empire built on independent films fell apart, there's been a fairly big question mark hovering over the future of independent cinema. As unpalatable as it may be to contemplate in view of his behavior, there really has never been anyone who has championed independent movies quite as successfully as Weinstein has, and his fall from grace has definitely left a vacuum which a number of "pretenders" like A24 are still struggling to fill. Unfortunately, with plummeting viewership ratings and a persistent complaint that nobody actually sees any of the movies that are nominated for Oscars, the AMPAS looks set to ditch independent movies as well, especially with the emergence of Netflix as a force in championing movies that would otherwise not get a full-fledged theatrical release.
The emergence of Netflix as the heir-apparent to Harvey Weinstein as the champion of independent film is something that should worry anyone who still loves going to the movies as opposed to watching them on their phones, and if the Academy hands the Best Picture Oscar out to either of Netflix's two nominees, it will virtually be crowning them as the new Miramax. Of course, if the award goes to a studio flick, then it's somewhat self-explanatory as to why this is going to be a bad thing for the theatrical future of independent movies. The argument for Netflix, which started sometime ago but only really started gaining traction last year when Alfonso Cuaron's Roma scored the studio's first brace of Oscar nominations, was that they made movies that no one else had the cojones to make, including stories by maverick filmmakers which studios found too risky to spend too much money on, and they knew how to market them too. It wasn't exactly wrong, even though it was a bit of a cheat; Roma only had a token theatrical release in order to qualify for the Oscars, which is the same strategy Netflix has employed for its two nominees this year The Irishman and Marriage Story. Both of them have spent such negligible time in actual movie theaters that their grosses aren't even being reported.
Parasite, in contrast, is a big, fat fucking middle finger to this model. It's in theaters right now, all around the world, and has grossed an awesome $136,720,990 (and counting) against a paltry $11 million budget. Fledgling studio Neon has taken up the cudgels for distributing this film in the United States and Canada and has dared to be different with a theatrical release. Its courage has been rewarded; the movie has already doubled its budget in terms of earnings in the U.S., with plenty of fuel left in the tank. Long story short: the movie is a financial success, despite being the kind of movie that many pundits claim can no longer be made. If it's rewarded for its audacity, as it was in Cannes at the expense of Tarantino's overrated Hollywood, then promising filmmakers won't need to peddle their wares to Netflix or hope to God that Bob Iger or Tom Rothman returns their phone calls. It's been said that Iger, who on behalf of Walt Disney purchased 20th Century Fox and its sub-brand Fox Searchlight, did so because they knew how to make and market awards contenders, something Ford v Ferrari and Jojo Rabbit have borne out. In short, there is a market for the little movie that could, and if the Academy awards Neon, then there are fair odds that the independent film will live to see big screens another day.
I hope they make the right choice.
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