parasite 2020

LINK: parasite 2020

My friend asked me what I was doing on February 9th, 2020. I told her, “Nothing… yet, why?”

She casually sent me an invite to the Parasite Oscar after party. Obvi, I said yes. There was a detailed guest list and attendance was limited.

Then came a flurry of questions:

• what was I going to wear?
• how was I gonna do my makeup?
• hair?
• shoes?
• would my job even let me leave early?

My mind was racing. I needed a dress. I needed a lot of things.

At my second job, I was venting to one a colleague in leadership. She suggested that I use the makeup artist from her wedding. She was professional, affordable, willing to drive to my house, and currently available. As soon as my coworker gave me her. number, I texted her and we were able to set a date, time, and price.

Finding a dress was another story though. I may have a snatched waist but i’ve got thick thighs, small chest, and a big ass. I went to four different department stores and walked out empty-handed each time. Nothing fit right, nor did it look good. I was sharing my debacle with my friend and without hesitation, she invited me to raid her closet.

I went over to her crib and tried on at least eight dresses. When I finally zipped up the black and cream sequined dress, it worked. She was slightly bigger than me, which helped because the dress needed room for my fat dump truck. When it came to shoes, we were both a size 7 to 7.5, so she lent me a pair of her black strappy heels. She was godsend, a fucking miracle.

The day of the even, I was granted a half day off. Thirty minutes after I got home the makeup artist arrived. She spent a little over two hours on my hair and makeup. She was super patient, professional, and kind.

That said, the makeup was much heavier than what I was used to. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I looked like I aged 20 years and was ready to sell tupperware on QVC. My hair looked great and my eyebrows were on fleek at least.

I took one snap in the kitchen with more lighting and another in my bedroom where it’s a bit dimmer. There wasn’t any time to redo anything. Time was of the essence. I threw on the dress, stepped into the heels, and drove straight away to the venue.

The part was at Soho House in West Hollywood. This was an exclusive place that requires a membership and a tax bracket that I definitely don’t belong to. I was told that membership runs about $6,000 a year, and that doesn’t even include food or beverages. This is where celebrities, executives, and socialites hang out.

I met up with my friends shortly after arriving. The same crew I had traveled to the Maldives with. Everyone one looked stunning.

There were endless hors d’oeuvres, canapés, and drinks. They were also serving Korean-inspired foods and I gotta say, it was mid but since it was free, I wasn’t complaining. There were photo ops everywhere. Neon, the company that acquired the US and Canadian rights to Parasite, was hosting this party. The interior and the stairs leading up were beautiful. I wanted to take more pictures but my phone was running out of storage.

At that point, Best Picture wasn’t announced yet. Not long after, we were all gathered around a big screen when Parasite was named the winner. We all cheered and screamed in joy. Best Picture. Best Original Screenplay. Best International Feature Film. I had seen the movie well before the Oscars and thought it was amazing and the symbolism throughout the movie was everything.

As we moved upstairs, I spotted Quincy Jones, Gina Gerson, Jim Jefferies, and others. The K-pop group A.C.E. performed, they ate and left no crumbs.

Then, the entire cast of parasite arrived. I mean everyone came and they were standing in the same room as us. I could not believe it.

I was able to catch most of the speech that 봉준호 (Bong Joon Ho), the director, gave to everyone in the room.

https://share.upscrolled.com/en/post/837506d0-066e-11f1-8080-8001420c6abc . The link shows the director giving his speech to the people in the room.

It was unreal. As a Korean-American, I felt overwhelming pride. To witness that moment, to be there as history was happening, was something that has become etched into my core memory.

봉준호 (Bong Joon Ho) also directed Snowpiercer and Okja, both are excellent in their own right. If you’re watching Okja, bring tissues, it’s a tearjerker. You’ve been warned.