A still from Parasite, the black-and-white version. — Photo courtesy of CJ HK Entertainment

HÀ NỘI — A black-and-white version of multi-Oscar-award-winning film Parasite hits box offices nationwide ON Monday, promising a more intimate visual experience for cinemagoers.

Director Bong Joon-ho said watching a black-and-white re-release of the film will give viewers a "different" and "strange" experience, according to a press release from CJ HK Entertainment, distributor of the film in Việt Nam.

Vietnamese audiences will have the chance to enjoy the monochrome version before audiences in South Korea, the home country of the director.

“Cinema started with black-and-white films. I started making films in 2000 and am passionate for the films made by Renoir, Fellini, Kurosawa, John Ford and Gregg Toland,” said Bong.

“I always love to create a black-and-white work with my friend, cameraman Hong Kyung Pyo, that’s the reason why the monochrome version of Parasite was born.”

Bong watched the monochrome version and felt excited. “When the colours are gone, you can focus more on the actors' facial expressions and their eyes," Bong told the Korea Herald.

The film's historic Best Picture Oscar – the first ever for a non-English-language movie – and three other statuettes, Best Director, Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay, have created huge excitement in his home country, whose cultural output has gained popularity around the world.

The black-and-white Parasite is being screened at CGV cinemas and BHD Star cinemas nationwide. — VNS