‘Parasite’ and ‘Memories of Murder’ From Bong Joon Ho to Join Criterion Collection

2003 Korean crime film “Memories of Murder” was director’s first collaboration with Song Kang Ho

Parasite Bong Joon Ho
Neon

Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture winner “Parasite” and his 2003 film “Memories of Murder” will receive special edition releases as part of the Criterion Collection, the “Parasite” distributor Neon and Criterion announced Thursday.

There’s no target release date for the special home video releases yet or whether the films will immediately become available on The Criterion Channel for streaming, but it’s rare to see Criterion partner with a distributor to specially release a movie still in theaters.

Criterion just released a special edition of Netflix’s “Roma,” which was nominated for Best Picture in 2019, and Criterion also recently partnered with Neon on Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” which is opening in theaters in limited release this weekend.

Bong’s “Memories of Murder” was released in 2003 and marked the first of Bong’s collaborations with Song Kang Ho. Neon also recently acquired the rights to the haunting crime drama and will be re-releasing it in theaters ahead of its home video release.

“Parasite” just won four Oscars on Sunday, including Best Director, Best International Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture, making it the first non-English language film to win Oscar’s top prize. Bong’s film premiered at Cannes and won the Palme d’Or, and since debuting in American theaters in October, it has grossed over $35 million at the domestic box office.

The film is a bleak satire of wealth and the class divide about a poor family who strategically works to install themselves in luxury jobs for a gullible and oblivious rich family, only to discover a dark secret from within the family’s home.

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