Year of Release: 2019
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo, Woo-sik Choi, So-dam Park, Jeong-eun Lee, Hye-jin Jang, Ji-hye Lee, Ji-so Jung, Myeong-hoon Park, Seo-joon Park, Keun-rok Park
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9
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Synopsis and Review:
Director Bong Joon Ho is back, following his latest and possibly most visible efforts, "Okja" (produced and distributed by Netflix) and "Snowpiercer" (which had its fair share of issues with distribution, courtesy of Harvey Weinstein). "Parasite" which has been met with critical acclaim, since premiering at the Cannes Film Festival of 2019 (where it won the Palm D'Or), follows the story of a family in South Korea, comprised of the parental figureheads, and two young adults offsprings, all of whom barely manage to survive, living in a below the level/basement type of space. When a friend of Ki-woo comes for a visit, he proposes an arrangement for Ki-woo to replace him, and start tutoring a young girl (in English), whose family is very well off. Upon visiting the family, Ki-woo, or Kevin as they start calling him, sees an opportunity to ingratiate himself further, and also bring his sister along. His sister, Ki-jung, quickly aces the interview and becomes an art teacher to the youngest son of the rich family (the Park family). With the two siblings quickly making money, they devise a scheme to get rid of the current driver the family has working for them, followed by their long standing housemaid. With the entire family now working for the Park's, who have no idea of their familial relationship or for that matter, of the dire economical standing in which they find themselves, the Park family goes on a camping trip, to celebrate the youngest son's birthday. The Kims decide to throw themselves a little celebratory party, which quickly goes awry when the former housemaid shows up knocking at the door of the Park's residence.
"Parasite" is one of the most enticing, original and multi-layered films I've witnessed in quite a while. It's a film that manages to be an incisive look at the economical disparities that occur in society, and the impact that it has on behaviors displayed by people across the board (both for those with plenty of resources and those with very few). The director builds a remarkable canvas for the existence of these two families, and how they eventually coexist (and clash). If the story starts being played off as people posing as teachers in order to make ends meet, there's definitely a change in tone, as the further layers to the narrative are unveiled. It's a surprising film that works on a variety of levels, mixing subtle humor, with class struggles, economical disparities, gender roles, all tossed with an impeccable aesthetic (and even an insightful look into the South Korean society). The cast is uniformly great, the same going for the cinematography of Kyung-pyo Hong and the score from Jaeil Jung. A fantastic film worth watching from a truly unique voice in cinema.
"Parasite" is one of the most enticing, original and multi-layered films I've witnessed in quite a while. It's a film that manages to be an incisive look at the economical disparities that occur in society, and the impact that it has on behaviors displayed by people across the board (both for those with plenty of resources and those with very few). The director builds a remarkable canvas for the existence of these two families, and how they eventually coexist (and clash). If the story starts being played off as people posing as teachers in order to make ends meet, there's definitely a change in tone, as the further layers to the narrative are unveiled. It's a surprising film that works on a variety of levels, mixing subtle humor, with class struggles, economical disparities, gender roles, all tossed with an impeccable aesthetic (and even an insightful look into the South Korean society). The cast is uniformly great, the same going for the cinematography of Kyung-pyo Hong and the score from Jaeil Jung. A fantastic film worth watching from a truly unique voice in cinema.
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