PATRICK JONES recommends a vital anthology from Afghan and Iranian poets where the political and personal fuse into witness-bearing and manifesto-making
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Politically charged prizewinners
The gongs struck for film-makers tackling big issues at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, says RITA DI SANTO
Joon Ho
WITH a focus on poverty and social inequality, Bong Joon Ho’s darkly satirical thriller Parasite carried off the top Palme d’Or prize in Cannes.
It follows the daily battle of a poor family in Seoul today as they scurry around their squalid basement flat and try to earn money with humiliating jobs.
Their situation starts to improve when they begin working for a rich household but when another poor family appears on the scene, a ferocious war among the have-nots begins. Parasite was certainly the best film in competition, demonstrating that Joon Ho is a major talent.
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