Fresh off of the awards season wins that sent Bong Joon-Ho fans into a state of euphoria on social media, Parasite is now available to Hulu subscribers, and the streaming platform is understandably pumped about landing the twisted comedy. With audiences trapped indoors, Hulu made sure to let everybody know who has the Academy Award winner for Best Picture in a Twitter release video:
‼️ PARASITE IS HERE ‼️
Watch the film that made Oscar history. Now streaming, only on Hulu. pic.twitter.com/QkdzlTdjxa
— Hulu (@hulu) April 8, 2020
Considering this is social media we’re talking about, and again, people have a lot of time on their hands, Hulu’s tweet attracted Twitter trolls who are not fans of Parasite‘s anti-capitalist message, which has made the film a contentious topic in some corners. But what the trolls didn’t expect is that whoever runs Hulu’s social media accounts also has time on their hands, and they got to work clapping back at detractors. For example, one user called the film “pathetic,” which prompted Hulu to set them straight.
it won…. four oscars……
— Hulu (@hulu) April 8, 2020
As that response quickly went viral, Hulu aimed its sights at another troll who apparently doesn’t care for reading subtitles or foreign movies in general.
if you don't want to read subtitles, you can always learn Korean!
— Hulu (@hulu) April 8, 2020
The response to Subtitle Boy went even more viral. It became a whole thing. Debates about subtitles aside, detractors are obviously missing the fact that Parasite accomplished an incredible feat during awards season by shattering conventional norms around foreign films. Via IndieWire:
“Parasite” was the favorite to win the Oscar for Best International Feature Film ever since it won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but many in the film industry wondered if a non-English language drama could take the Academy’s biggest prize for Best Picture. No foreign language film had ever won Best Picture in the 92 years of the Oscars. Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” got close in 2019 but lost to “Green Book.” “Parasite” broke the glass ceiling, becoming not just the first foreign language Best Picture winner but also the first South Korean film to land Oscar noms.
Sure, you could call that “pathetic” or “trash” because it’s not English, but don’t be surprised to see an entire streaming platform jump in your mentions to tell you exactly how wrong you are.
(Via Hulu on Twitter)