Parasite: A masterpiece that latches on and never lets go
As someone who was born decades after the golden age of Hollywood, I doubt I can ever truly understand the impact that Alfred Hitchcock had on the world of film. He had his critics but the man presented a cinematic style and presentation that most film scholars would consider to be termed as "Perfect storytelling". Whether it's in the form of withholding information from the audience, breaking the levels of shock and awe from horror to beauty, or just having the foresight to balance all these elements of cinema flawlessly. Hitchcock's ability to hang the audience on every scene, with every bit of dialogue, with every moment of suspense, is something that has never truly been repeated. Until now. And after the end to a fairytale award season and a well deserved reputation as "The film that made history", here are my thoughts on Bong Joon-ho's Parasite. This is Korean director Bong's sixth feature film, after his early native speaking films Memories of Murder and The Host, and a couple of English speaking films with Snowpiercer and Okja. His films usually touch on political and environmental themes relying on monsters or hyper violence as a catalyst. Nevertheless with Parasite being his first Korean language film since 2009 with Mother, He delivers one of the most talked about films outside of the Hollywood spectrum.
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To be as vague as I possibly can, Parasite is a story of the Kim family (a poor yet persistent family living in a basement home) trying to merge into the lives of the Park family (a rich aristocratic family in a lavish modern mansion) in the Korean suburbs. Anymore detail would be a disservice to the film as with most great works of Korean cinema, the less known about the plot going into it the better. It is a plot that gives the illusion of being made as you watch, each twist and escalation is seemingly developed out of nowhere, and you as the audience are left helpless and astounded. The main theme of the film seems to be the battle of class, yet Bong makes sure to leave both families as morally ambiguous. You want to root for the Kim family in escaping their downtrodden lives, yet you might not agree with their crafty methods on the Park family. The same can be said with the Park family who are presented as an average high class gullible family, yet are very much unaware of the economic issues around them. However what gives these themes and ideas perfect rhythm and flow is Bongs use of dark humour. Bong has a sense of humour that brings each one of these characters to life and has been utilised many times in his previous films. Both families are written with such vibrancy and quirkiness that its hard not to fall in love with them. The film pressures you to choose one over the other, but by the end you love them both for their individual characteristics.
The performances by the actors are another huge driving force behind this films success, and in the drivers seat is the brilliant character actor Song Kang-ho. Being a long term collaborator with director Bong, Song delivers another electrifying performance as the father of the Kim family and is the metaphorical rock (not the real one) that holds the crew together throughout the film. Other great performances went to the brother and sister of the Kim's, Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam. Both of which were very engaging, funny and honest with portraying the eagerness and desire to escape their poverty-stricken lives. And a special recognition must go to Hang Hye-jin for her portrayal of the ditsy, delusional mother of the Park family, who was a joy to watch on screen and expertly captured the scatterbrained wealthy mother figure, to the audiences enjoyment. Overall this ensemble was superbly casted and there was not a single character that didn't have a moment to shine on screen.
On a technical level, Bong has always been one of the great filmmakers of the Korean film movement to accentuate what a camera can portray. There are shots in this film that can tell so many stories in one image, whether it be a small view from a basement window overlooking a substandard street, or a side profile of someone needing to make a life or death choice in a matter of seconds. His work with cinematographer Hong Kyung-po is breathtaking with each shot flowing to the next without feeling rushed or exaggerated. In fact director Bong is one of the few directors to use pans from right to left in many of his works, almost making it a signature shot of his. But beyond all of that, this film might have one the greatest montage sequences of all time. Excellent set up, flawless delivery, and pay off so clever and momentous that the cinema I was in applauded half way through the film when it was done. I could understand why this film was originally supposed to be a theatre play, because the dialogue mixed in with this perfectly placed sequences is like a scene from the realism movement, even with its own Chekhov's gun.
Overall, seeing this film start off the festival trail by winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and ending with making history with its Best Picture win at the Oscars. There is plenty of evidence that would support the fact that we might have already witnessed the best film of the new decade. And the reason why I brought up Hitchcock is because there are so many similarities in terms of filmmaking prowess and cinematic talent. As the marketing put it "you expect Parasite to be one thing, then it mutates into something new". Like the title suggest, Parasite is a film that latches onto you and never lets go, and it is the perfect film to introduce to someone who might not enjoy foreign language films. Because it is the ultimate prove that there is only one language that matters and thats the language of cinema.
Film Grade- A+
To be as vague as I possibly can, Parasite is a story of the Kim family (a poor yet persistent family living in a basement home) trying to merge into the lives of the Park family (a rich aristocratic family in a lavish modern mansion) in the Korean suburbs. Anymore detail would be a disservice to the film as with most great works of Korean cinema, the less known about the plot going into it the better. It is a plot that gives the illusion of being made as you watch, each twist and escalation is seemingly developed out of nowhere, and you as the audience are left helpless and astounded. The main theme of the film seems to be the battle of class, yet Bong makes sure to leave both families as morally ambiguous. You want to root for the Kim family in escaping their downtrodden lives, yet you might not agree with their crafty methods on the Park family. The same can be said with the Park family who are presented as an average high class gullible family, yet are very much unaware of the economic issues around them. However what gives these themes and ideas perfect rhythm and flow is Bongs use of dark humour. Bong has a sense of humour that brings each one of these characters to life and has been utilised many times in his previous films. Both families are written with such vibrancy and quirkiness that its hard not to fall in love with them. The film pressures you to choose one over the other, but by the end you love them both for their individual characteristics.The performances by the actors are another huge driving force behind this films success, and in the drivers seat is the brilliant character actor Song Kang-ho. Being a long term collaborator with director Bong, Song delivers another electrifying performance as the father of the Kim family and is the metaphorical rock (not the real one) that holds the crew together throughout the film. Other great performances went to the brother and sister of the Kim's, Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam. Both of which were very engaging, funny and honest with portraying the eagerness and desire to escape their poverty-stricken lives. And a special recognition must go to Hang Hye-jin for her portrayal of the ditsy, delusional mother of the Park family, who was a joy to watch on screen and expertly captured the scatterbrained wealthy mother figure, to the audiences enjoyment. Overall this ensemble was superbly casted and there was not a single character that didn't have a moment to shine on screen.
On a technical level, Bong has always been one of the great filmmakers of the Korean film movement to accentuate what a camera can portray. There are shots in this film that can tell so many stories in one image, whether it be a small view from a basement window overlooking a substandard street, or a side profile of someone needing to make a life or death choice in a matter of seconds. His work with cinematographer Hong Kyung-po is breathtaking with each shot flowing to the next without feeling rushed or exaggerated. In fact director Bong is one of the few directors to use pans from right to left in many of his works, almost making it a signature shot of his. But beyond all of that, this film might have one the greatest montage sequences of all time. Excellent set up, flawless delivery, and pay off so clever and momentous that the cinema I was in applauded half way through the film when it was done. I could understand why this film was originally supposed to be a theatre play, because the dialogue mixed in with this perfectly placed sequences is like a scene from the realism movement, even with its own Chekhov's gun.
Overall, seeing this film start off the festival trail by winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and ending with making history with its Best Picture win at the Oscars. There is plenty of evidence that would support the fact that we might have already witnessed the best film of the new decade. And the reason why I brought up Hitchcock is because there are so many similarities in terms of filmmaking prowess and cinematic talent. As the marketing put it "you expect Parasite to be one thing, then it mutates into something new". Like the title suggest, Parasite is a film that latches onto you and never lets go, and it is the perfect film to introduce to someone who might not enjoy foreign language films. Because it is the ultimate prove that there is only one language that matters and thats the language of cinema.
Film Grade- A+
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