PA Images/Radius-TWCBong Joon-ho made history at the Oscars with four wins, including Best Picture. Interest in his oeuvre is higher than ever – fortunately, one of his greatest works is available on Netflix right now.
Parasite’s conquering of the Academy Awards marks a turning of the tide for foreign cinema infiltrating the mainstream. Nothing combats ignorance like success – and Bong’s class warfare masterpiece is set to introduce thousands of film-goers to a whole new world of movies.
The director’s filmography is chock-full of captivating, genre-bending triumphs. For those new to his work, here’s where to start: Snowpiercer, which features Captain America himself.
Check out the trailer for Snowpiercer below:
Released in 2013, Bong’s foray into sci-fi follows the Snowpiercer, a globe-railing train carrying the last remnants of humanity after a climate experiment plunges Earth into a volatile new Ice Age. Chris Evans stars as Curtis Everett, a member of the low-class population who leads a revolution above the bread line and beyond.
USA Today‘s Claudia Puig wrote: ‘Snowpiercer is a rare hybrid that perfectly blends the dazzle of a futuristic action thriller with the intellectual substance of an art film.’
Entertainment Weekly‘s Chris Nashawaty wrote: ‘Snowpiercer sucks you into its strange, brave new world so completely, it leaves you with the all-too-rare sensation that you’ve just witnessed something you’ve never seen before…and need to see again.’
Radius-TWCDespite featuring such a huge headline lead (along with Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and Bong’s trademark collaborator, Song Kang-ho), it was buried with a VOD release outside the US, with the UK kept almost entirely in the dark. Why? Well, because of Harvey Weinstein.
Back in 2012, The Weinstein Company bought the film’s distribution rights from CJ Entertainment after reading the script and seeing some completed footage, with plans for a wide release in North America, as well as throughout the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
However, Snowpiercer hit a bump in its journey to the screen when Weinstein demanded that 20 minutes of footage be edited and opening and closing monologues be added. However, Bong refused – and the film was buried.
Radius-TWCPeople weren’t so quick to let the film go. Following a fan petition for the director’s cut to be released, the film switched distributors to Radius-TWC – eventually leading to a wider release in the US in 2014. Alas, it’d take another four years before the UK could enjoy it without importing a DVD, when it dropped on Amazon Prime. Last year, it was also added to Netflix.
Along with Snowpiercer, Bong’s Okja – a heartbreaking look at the carnivorous nature of multinational corporations, as well as a beautiful coming-of-age story – is also available to stream on the platform.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.