Parasite (2019) [Film Review]

Parasite; or, Shoplifters: Extreme Edition

     Ki Woo, you know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. You know why? If you make a plan, life never works out that way. Look around us. Did these people think, “Let’s all spend the night in a gym?”. But look now. Everyone’s sleeping on the floor, us included. That’s why people shouldn’t make plans. With no plan, nothing can go wrong.

Parasite is the 7th motion picture directed by a South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho. It won Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as well as three Chunsa Film Art Awards. In addition, the movie is the latest hot topic on many movie forums due to its original storyline and unexpected twists. Is it a true masterpiece that was rightfully awarded with a 8-minute-long standing ovation at Cannes? Needless to say, I had to find out on my own.

Release Info

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho Starring: Song Kang Ho, Lee Sun Kyun, Cho Yeo Jeong, Choi Woo Shik

Language: Korean Original Title: 기생충 Runtime: 132 min

 

Synopsis

Kim Ki Taek (Song Kang Ho) is an unemployed driver who lives with his wife, Choong Sook (Jang Hye Jin), and their two children, son Ki Woo (Choi Woo Shik) and daughter Ki Jung (Park So Dam) in a rundown semi-basement apartment. The family has no prospects for a steady job and they resort to doing low-paid activities. All of a sudden, Min Hyuk (Park Seo Joon), Ki Woo’s friend, drops by and offers him to take over his job as an English tutor for a wealthy family, the Parks (Lee Sun Kyun and Cho Yeo Jeong). Ki Woo accepts and he ends up in a house of style and glamour. Gaining the Parks’ trust, Ki Taek’s family deceitfully takes over positions of the household’s other workers. Little do they know that this will lead to disastrous consequences.

 

House of the Long Shadows

Positive recommendations from MyDramaList and the movie poster provided me with a cognitive dissonance. I expected a super dark and psychedelic slasher, but the first half of the movie seemed like a funny comedy about small time crooks. My initial reaction was like: “What’s all the fuss? It’s just a black comedy/family drama”. However, when the doorbell started ringing halfway through the picture, all hell broke loose…

 

Parasite’s main assets are not the drastic shifts in tone, but the message it tries to communicate. I would not call the storyline as the “ever-trendy” Marxist critique of capitalism. This movie is not just about the haves and the have-nots. It’s about the deterioration of our society and we get to see that through the lens of Ki Taek and his family on three different levels.

 

I could not help but compare Parasite with the previous Cannes’ winner, Shoplifters (2018). Even though the two films are completely different, I found myself cheering for both families who found themselves in unexpected circumstances. This is where my main issue with Parasite arises: I badly wanted the story to remain a family drama but it turned into a graphic thriller. In consequence, this hair-raising 180 degree turn of events resulted in the ending which left me a bit unsatisfied.

 

Speaking about performances, Song Kang Ho always provides a class act and it’s great to see him continuing the collaboration with director Bong Joon Ho. Jang Hye Jin and Park So Dam also are fantastic as the mother and the daughter, respectively. However, the real highlight of this film is Choi Woo Shik as the son. Honourable mention goes to Lee Jung Eun for her more than unnerving performance.

 

Recommendations

Go ahead and check this one out. Parasite is a very interesting and entertaining story which deserves its widespread praise. Even if some scenes are graphic, I think it is best to watch it with your family and/or friends because the film keeps you guessing what will happen next. To conclude, Parasite effectively discouraged me from trying to buy a fancy house with a big garden for myself.

Overall score: 8/10