HBO Max Is About to Lose One of Its Most Acclaimed Films

HBO Max viewers only have a few days left to watch the acclaimed film Parasite before it leaves the streaming service on October 31st.

The 2019 South Korean thriller, directed by Bong Joon Ho, became a global sensation and won the Academy Award for Best Picture, making history as the first non-English-language film to receive the honor.

Parasite tells the story of a poor family who slowly infiltrates the lives of a wealthy household. The cast includes Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, and Lee Jung-eun. The film blends dark comedy, suspense, and social commentary, a combination that helped it earn worldwide acclaim.

Bong Joon Ho co-wrote the film with Han Jin-won, adapting it from a play he wrote in 2013. Bong has said he drew inspiration from the 1960 Korean movie The Housemaid and a 1930s real-life incident involving sisters Christine and Léa Papin.

Filming took place from May to September 2018, with Hong Kyung-pyo as cinematographer, Yang Jin-mo as editor, and Jung Jae-il composing the score.

The film went on to win four Oscars, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.

It also received a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, and became the first non-English-language film to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. In 2025, The New York Times named Parasite the best film of the 21st century so far, highlighting its lasting impact.

Fans of the film can also look forward to an HBO limited series based on Parasite, which was reported to be in early development as of February of this year.

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