Coronavirus Dominates Dinner Conversations

Hong Kong commuters disembark from the MTR train, all wearing masks

At the few gatherings I have been to, the talk around the table is the coronavirus, now called COVID-19, and how it has impacted our daily lives.

Many people have been stuck working at home, some more productive than if they were in the office, while others still continue to go in to work.

Today there seemed to be more people out and about -- at around 6.15pm, the Central MTR station was relatively busy, with lots of people coming into the station during rush hour.

Some resort to wearing swimming goggles and tear gas masks

I went to a restaurant in Central that opened recently, and there was a long queue outside the door. People were encouraged to eat outside and one group even had a bottle of wine complete with wine glasses as they ate pizza.

Inside one person at our table wondered if the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens would still be on -- we found out later it is now postponed to October -- and would an annual food festival called Taste of Hong Kong would still go ahead in March? (we don't think so).

Another person observed how hiking up Victoria Peak is now very popular, people wanting some fresh air and exercise, but when it came to the cinema, they now take your temperature and it is mandatory to wear a mask in the theatre.

On Sunday I went to see The Farewell on the big screen and while temperatures were not taken, almost all of us wore masks as we watched the film. Strange, but the new normal.

Lining up for either masks or toilet paper or both

The procurement of masks was also a hot topic, how they were completely overpriced, and getting used to wearing them on a daily basis. Some even wear masks inside the office, probably to take extra precautions, but report their glasses keep fogging up, and having to readjust masks when they smile.

It's definitely a strange new world we're living in -- and for how long? That's what we all want to know.

Worldwide there are now over 45,100 confirmed cases, 1,115 deaths, and over 4,700 recovered. The number of deaths have now surpassed 774 people for SARS in 2002-03, so it seems to be more contagious and deadly too.

In Hong Kong today we recorded our 50th patient confirmed with COVID-19, about 10 of the cases are related to a hot pot dinner on January 26 with two relatives who came down from the mainland.

Some lucky shoppers stocking up on toilet paper

Meanwhile the hunt for reasonably priced masks continues and the massive line for toilet paper. I have seen a few people carrying their prized toilet packs on the MTR or a bag of rice.

It's crazy that masks, rice and toilet paper are such highly-prized items. We are all buckling down for war and collecting whatever provisions we can get. But who are we fighting? The coronavirus or each other?

We've had hardly any help from the Hong Kong government, and not a peep! Not one word from the Liaison Office and the new leader there, Luo Huining.

Perhaps he's hiding in a basement somewhere a la Parasite and hoarding all our masks, toilet paper and rice...?

Parasite's Historic Win

Bong Joon Ho receives the Oscar for Best Picture from Jane Fonda

What a big win for Parasite at the 92nd Academy Awards!!!

Best Original Screenplay. Best International Feature [formerly Best Foreign Language Film]. Best Director. And Best Picture.

Ang Lee won in 1994 for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

How can you top that! And not be a film in English?

Writer, director and producer Bong Joon Ho did just that tonight.

South Koreans are celebrating like there's no tomorrow, and it's reminiscent of 2001 when Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was nominated for 10 Oscars. The xuxia film won Best Foreign Language Film (Ang Lee), Best Art Direction (Timmy Yip), Best Original Score (Tan Dun), and Best Cinematography (Peter Pau).

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon stuck its foot in the Academy door, and now 19 years later, Parasite has walked through without missing a beat.

The wuxia film opened the door for Asian foreign films

Bong's win is not just for South Koreans, it's for any filmmaker whose first language is not English, that they too have a chance to win the coveted golden statue.

The Academy Awards is finally becoming more diverse and it's about time.

It's also a reminder of when singer Bruce Springsteen performed Streets Of Philadelphia for the film Philadelphia for the 1994 Academy Awards.

When he won for Best Original Song, Springsteen said at the end of his speech, "Thank you all for inviting me to your party".

So it's good to see the Oscars not be so cliquey and have a broader range of nominations. 

The cast of Parasite with Bong on the red carpet at the Oscars

We love Bong's speech when he received the Best Director award; he was so gracious, speaking without notes:

"When I was young and studying cinema, there was a saying that I carved deep into my heart, which is that, 'The most personal is the most creative.'

"That quote is from our great Martin Scorsese. When I was at school, I studied Martin Scorsese's films. Just to be nominated was a huge honour. I never thought I would win.

"When people in the US were not familiar with my films, Quentin [Tarantino] always put my films on his list. He's here, thank you so much. Quentin, I love you.

Bong paid tribute to mentor Martin Socorsese

"And Todd [Phillips] and Sam [Mendes], great directors that I admire. If the Academy allows, I would like to get a Texas chainsaw, split the award into five and share it with all of you.

"Thank you. I will drink until next morning, thank you."

Review: Parasite

South Korean film Parasite has reverberated among critics and viewers

I finally saw the highly acclaimed Korean film Parasite by Bong Joon-ho with much trepidation. It was the first South Korean film to win a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

It's not an easy film to watch and leaves you thinking about how this story is any different from how people in reality function: Are we all parasites in one way or another?

Director Bong Joon-ho winning the Palme d'Or for Parasite

The story starts off showing the Kim family in dire living conditions, in a sub-basement and trying to use the wifi from the upstairs occupants. They eke out a living folding cardboard pizza boxes, but even this simple task they can't do well and their pay is docked. How will they ever survive?

Luckily the adult son Ki-Woo (played by Choi Woo-shik) gets a recommendation from a friend to tutor the daughter of a rich and successful couple, Mr Park (Lee Sun-kyun) and his pretty wife Yeon-kyo (Cho Yeo-jeong).

Ki-Woo proves to be a good tutor and discovers the Parks' younger son needs an art tutor and recommends his sister (Park So-dam), but of course doesn't say they are related. Soon they con their way into getting the chauffeur job for their father (Song Kang-ho), but replacing the Parks' longtime housekeeper with the Kim matriarch Chang Hyde-jin) takes ingenious planning.

The Kims' ability to seamlessly slide into the Parks' lives and take advantage of this wealthy family shows not only the immense gap between the rich and the poor, but also how desperate people can be to get ahead.

The Kim family survives by folding cardboard pizza boxes

It is an amusing, but also pointed observation that turns to a shocking and sad ending. The reality is, becoming rich can only be a dream for most of us.

Bong explained to the New York Times that father Kim (Song) is a very famous actor in South Korea, while the son Choi is an up-and-coming actor. And so the scene where the son rehearses with the father about what to say to Mrs Park is amusing for South Koreans to watch -- like watching a young novice telling someone like Robert De Niro how to act.

But what also got a lot of buzz in South Korea about Parasite was how the wealth gap was portrayed in the movie. Remember in 2014, Air Korea CEO Cho Yang-ho's daughter Heather Cho Hyun-ah and vice president of the airline flew into a rage when nuts were not served to her on a plate on a flight from New York to Seoul.

The Park family holds a lavish birthday party for their child

The "nut rage" incident also echoes another one that was more tragic that year -- the Sewol ferry disaster in which 304 people drowned, of which 250 were students on a field trip. The ship was owned by the Yoo family, which investigators later found had siphoned off millions of dollars while encouraging its managers to cut corners and flout safety rules.

While Parasite does not directly refer to these incidents, they came to mind afterwards while analyzing the film, in that it mirrors reality, though with a macabre twist.

Another way to emphasize the rich-poor gap is through the excellent cinematography by Hong Kyung-pyo. Notice the Kim family is always together in the frame to emphasize not only their cramped conditions, but they are a close-knit group, while the Park family members are hardly together in the same shot, their home on the hill so large and spacious.

Bong (in grey suit) with the cast of Parasite at Cannes

Parasite is a film that makes observations about how money affects human nature, and is this the kind of world we want to live in?

Parasite (2019)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Screenplay by Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won