‘Parasite’ Named Best Film of 2019 by L.A. Film Critics Association

By Erin Nyren

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Hollywood’s hometown critics clearly aren’t afraid of subtitles.

Members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. met Sunday to vote on the year’s best cinema accomplishments. South Korean thriller “Parasite” fared the best, taking not only best picture, but also the group’s director prize for Bong Joon Ho and supporting actor for Song Kang Ho.

Unlike most voting groups, LAFCA makes public the runner-up for each of its awards. “Parasite” was a clear favorite with the critics organization, placing second in two other categories: screenplay and production design.

The west coast critics’ love for “Parasite” should not be so surprising: has a track record of honoring international cinema, having previously given its top prize to “Roma,” “Amour” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” — all three of which went on to earn Oscar nominations for best picture.

Because “Parasite” bested English-language “The Irishman” (which came in second with LAFCA, after dominating the New York Film Critics Circle earlier in the week), the group opted to give best foreign language honors to another film, voting for Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory,” which also earned best actor for Antonio Banderas.

“Our esteemed winners this year continue our association’s trend of championing a diverse and inclusive slate of extraordinary films,” said president Claudia Puig. “Winning filmmakers hail from around the globe, including Korea, Spain and France, emphasizing how film transcends geographic borders and speaks to our shared emotional experience.”

In recent years, LAFCA has become notorious among award season pundits for spotlighting a single (typically below-the-radar) foreign-language performance among its acting prizes. This year, LAFCA split them between domestic and foreign roles. Superstar Jennifer Lopez was recognized for her supporting turn in “Hustlers,” and beloved character actress Mary Kay Place won for her lead turn in indie drama “Diane.”

Full list of winners below.

Best Picture: “Parasite” (Runner-up: “The Irishman”)

Best Director: Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite” (Runner-up: Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”)

Best Actress: Mary Kay Place, “Diane” (Runner-up: Lupita Nyong’o, “Us”)

Best Actor: Antonio Banderas, “Pain & Glory” (Runner-up: Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”)

Best Supporting Actor: Song Kang Ho, “Parasite” (Runner-up: Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”)

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers” (Runner-up: Zhao Shuzhen, “The Farewell”)

Best Animated Film: “I Lost My Body” (Runner-up: “Toy Story 4”)

Best Documentary: “American Factory” (Runner-up: “Apollo 11”)

Best Foreign Language Film: “Pain & Glory” (Runner-up: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”)

Best Screenplay: Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story” (Runner-up: Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, “Parasite”)

Best Cinematography: Claire Mathon, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Atlantics” (Runner-up: Roger Deakins, “1917”)

Best Editing: Todd Douglas Miller, “Apollo 11” (Runner-up: Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie, “Uncut Gems”)

Best Music/Score: Dan Levy, “I Lost My Body” (Runner-up: Thomas Newman, “1917”)

Best Production Design: Barbara Ling, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Runner-up: Ha Jun Lee, “Parasite”)

New Generation Prize: Joe Talbot, Jimmie Fails and Jonathan Majors, “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award: “The Giverny Document,” Ja’Tovia Gary

Career Achievement: Elaine May

(Peter Debruge contributed to this report.)