In a recent poll conducted by The New York Times, over 500 influential Hollywood figures voted Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 film Parasite as the best film of the 21st century. The South Korean black comedy-thriller has won four Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film) in the past.
The choice has been criticized by many. "The poll’s heavy Hollywood weighting has skewed toward films with strong awards-season visibility," a critic wrote. He added that the poll has totally sidelined lesser-known international or independent works.
Critics have noted the list’s underrepresentation of films by Black, Latino, or female directors, with only 11 films directed by women and none in the top 20. Films like Mulholland Drive or In the Mood for Love were not considered.
Parasite, when it was released, was criticized for its perceived plot holes or elements that strained credulity.
SS Rajamouli famously stated that he found Parasite so boring. "Parasite didn't work much for me. I felt the film was a little slow in the beginning. We started watching the film a little bit late around 10 pm, and so halfway through, I dozed off and slept," the RRR maker stated in an interview in 2020.
