'Parasite' Is Simply Brilliant

Parasite possesses the accolade of winning the Palme d’Or in the 2019 Cannes Festival – the first ever Korean film to do so.  It’s directed by Bong Joon-ho – whose previous works include The Host (one of my most favorite Korean films), Snowpiercer, and Okja – and features a cast headlined by Korean actors I’m familiar with in Song Kang-ho (who already collaborated with Bong in several of his movies in the past, including the aforementioned The Host and Snowpiercer, and who starred in some of the Korean films I’ve enjoyed in recent years, such as The Good, the Bad, and the Weird [another favorite of mine], The Age of Shadows, and A Taxi Driver), Choi Woo-shik (from Okja and Train to Busan), and Park So-dam (from Beautiful Mind).

The film tells the story of a poor family of four that conducts a con on the upper-class household of a CEO.  That’s just the initial set up, as a series of escalating twist-and-turns ensues.  I won’t disclose any other detail of its plot, as it’s the kind of film that is best experienced when one knows nothing about it going in.

Seriously, the narrative unpacks several intelligent and jaw-dropping layers to be enjoyed.

A blend of drama, thriller, and black comedy, Parasite accomplishes having outstanding high points for all those genres.  It gets poignant.  It gets reflective.  It gets funny.  It gets gripping.  It gets creepy.  It gets disturbing.

Bong was nothing short of impeccable in his helming of this film.  Every aspect of it is truly sublime.  Script, execution, pacing, cinematography – everything.  It’s a legit masterpiece.

The attention to detail that’s at play all throughout its storytelling is particularly amazing.  It consistently puts in time to set up and foreshadow future payoffs.  Relevant items and information are presented during seemingly drawn-out scenes whose purposefulness and efficiency only become obvious in retrospect. It then all leads to a solid, apt ending that’s both depressing and hopeful, unambiguous yet open to interpretation.

There’s also some nice social commentary going for it – particularly, a contrasting of the extremes of the class spectrum (between this movie and last year’s Burning, the class war is a theme that Korean cinema seems to be currently fond of exploring).  One notable insight coming from this that I liked is the suggestion that economic status plays a part in shaping certain qualities in people, like how those in poverty are more inclined to become more sly, unabashed, and quick to see opportunities to take advantage, while those living in wealth and privilege tend to lack basic discernment, sensitivity, and forethought, making them naïve, gullible, and heedless.

To sum it up, Parasite is simply brilliant – twisted, smart, riveting, and one of the most original films in recent memory.  And it’s easily one of the best films of the year – probably even the decade – that I’ve seen.