Parasite

Parasite leeches onto societal dissociation to create a thrillingly hilarious satire on capitalism. “Rich people are naive. No resentments. No creases on them.”. “It all gets ironed out. Money is an iron. Those creases all get smoothed out by money.”. The Kim family, residing in the secluded darkness of a semi-underground basement apartment, acquire limited income. Jaggedly folding pizza boxes for an independent takeaway chain, with the already low-paying income reduced as a consequence of poor workmanship. They, much like the bottom-feeders of South Korea’s working class division, struggle to survive. Consuming rotting food. Hijacking neighbouring paid Wi-Fi services. Residing in potentially diseased sub-urban streets. Ultimately aspiring to achieve the lofty heights of upper-class formalities. Conceptualising the popularised term “Hell Joseon”, a critique on the current socioeconomic declining trajectory of South Korea. As the Kims tucked into their minimised dinner, son Ki-woo’s university friend gifts the family a scholar’s rock. Traditionally granting the bearer a promise of wealth. Swiftly after, he offers a proposition to Ki-woo. To continue his vocation as an English tutor for the elegant daughter of a wealthy family, the Parks. Ki-woo ponders, fabricating a plan that would seize this opportunity for beneficial gain. A chance to relish in the opposing scale of unequalised capitalism. After a successful lesson, Ki-woo insists his awareness for an art therapy teacher at the behest of the gullible Choi Yeon-gyo for her son. Ki-woo, unbeknown to the Parks, invites his sister Ki-jung to provide these lessons. Gradually, the Kim family, one-by-one, assimilate themselves into the lives of the Park family, pretending to be unrelated. The poor draining the wealth and opportunism from the rich.Before tackling this critically lauded feature, which has now grown to be one of the highest-rated productions of all-time in such an inconsequential amount of time, the black humour of director Joon-ho’s filmography acted as preparation for what was to be expected. Providing critiques on sociopolitical endeavours that overburden an OECD nation. Predictably, yet efficiently, Joon-ho’s darkly comedic satire on class conflict manages to succinctly tackle the enragement of allocated resources that supplies social inequality and wealth disparity through the microcosmic insight of two opposing families. Not just in prosperity or affluence, but in temperament. A reflection of late-stage capitalism where the enticingly inviting wealthy superfluously ignore the difficulties of life for the remaining population. Youth unemployment at the expense of extortionate higher education fees. Affordability for shelter and essential food items rapidly dissipating along with the lower class. The Kims perpetuate these foreboding crises, utilising fraudulent and forgery crimes to attain the standard of living that many aspire to achieve. Yet, beneath the sharply hilarious foundations of Joon-ho’s screenplay, which confidently satirises the naivety and credulity of opulence whilst embedding thought-provoking themes of affirmative contemplation and economic disassociation, is a visceral vision of palpable colonialism.The Parks original housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang imitating North Korea’s dictatorial leader, whom openly yearns to invade South Korea, mimicking the voice and mannerisms of a propagandist news reporter. Before engaging in a fight with the Kims for social dominance, a microcosm for the poor fighting the poor. The Parks’ son, Da-song, frolicking in the freshly sprinkled garden in an “Indian” outfit, memorialising colonial occupation. Whilst these are included as surface-level replications, the contextual substance beneath these depictions hark back to the economic order of capitalism. The poor decline, and the rich rise. The latter viewing the former as parasitical microbes feeding off of their principled success. Staircases acting as prominent motifs to accentuate economic disparity, with Kyung-pyo’s clinically precise cinematography emphasising their thematic purpose through extensive shots from banished basements and luxurious lounges.Coincidentally, Joon-ho intelligently avoids assigning protagonists, rather viewing the perspectives of both social classes as unethical divisions of society, with the “upstairs/downstairs” ideology implying this viewpoint. Each cast member supplying bountiful amounts of energy and deliverance in depicting the social divide. Kang-ho and Yeo-jeong especially, with their eccentric portrayals of two parents from each end of the divide. The onscreen chemistry between Woo-shik and So-dam also enhanced the close familial bonds within the Kim family, working as a crime syndicate rather than individuals.Every technicality and thematic endeavour was on course for perfection. From Jae-il’s orchestral score to Jin-mo’s precise editing. All Joon-ho had to do, to truly finish with finesse, was solidify a resonant conclusion. For a moment, with Ki-taek rampantly abandoning Da-song’s birthday party, he did. Fade to black. A statement on everything that was depicted previously was conceptualised in these final moments. Perfection! Alas, the feature resumed, and it kept going. The aftermath of the party, narration included, and the proceeding weeks unfortunately quelled the outstanding momentum that preceded the lavishly wrapped conclusion. In spite of the proposed incalculable unlikelihood of the climactic fantasy scenario, heavily inferring the inescapable boundaries of the proposed “coup de grace” for a particular individual, it was too immaculate. Heavy-handedly providing implications in a film that astoundingly dealt with nuanced subtextual thematic representations.However, despite the agitated reservations for Joon-ho’s embellished ending, Parasite is a dramatic journey that is boundless in scope. Seamlessly blending genres through prosperous performances and luxurious direction, Joon-ho fully realises the dual meaning behind the feature’s title through sheer confidence. The poor infiltrating the wealthy, and the rich leeching off of the working-class’ labour. Society is self-parasitical. No grand life plan will change that. “You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all”.

Loved the insight of a part of the world unfamiliar to me.Yes, the film shows violence, but it is so funny too.

First off - the bias.... I love non-english language movies/tv. Because they are not initially made for a global (ie American) market the writers and directors seem to have more scope and can explore more diverse themes. Couple that with a glimpse into another countries culture and maybe you see the attractions that give me this bias.The movie (no spoilers) - basically a family of slightly odd-bod crooks 'invade' another family's life. What follows is like a semi farce-like set of escapes/hilarities/tradegies, all delivered with earnest and deadpan sincerity by a faultless cast.And if you like this... Watch the directors previous movie 'the host', which equally fixating and cookie.

Great film.bdeserved the oscar. Well done keep it up Korea👍

This Oscars triumph, proclaimed by Radio 5 Live's Dr K. as pretty much perfect, is definitely worth the price of admission and will withstand repeat viewing because of the richness of the story, its themes and implications. That being the case, Parasite has one or two plot elements that stretch credibility to the limit, but they also contribute to the movie's interest and poignancy. Parasite also features a sexual scene that without being explicit manages to be one of the most erotic and intimate that I can recall seeing in a mainstream movie.You may feel like taking sides, at least initially, but as the story goes to show, we're all in this together, and life happens whether you like it or not, and rarely as you want it to.

Yes it's a good film and probably worthy of that Oscar. However I'm deducting one star for a particular reason, and it's one that annoys me with many films and TV series: members of the same family look nothing like one another. If the members of my family tried to get jobs at the same place, all pretending to be unrelated, it wouldn't take for someone to spot that we resembled one another.Still, turn a blind eye to that and everything about it is as good as you've been led to believe by less fussy reviewers.

Amazing quality...Bong Jun-ho has backed up his real talent....based on my experience of watching the very good Snowpiercer before hand, I was not surprised by the brilliance of the direction, distinctive grungy style and hard edged often brilliant sometimes awkwardly funny acting, fab character development, atmosphere and fantastic script. It really did all come together here for this excellent deserved Oscar winner....and I don't often agree with many of their winning choices. Saying that, in recent years certain winners have been just as worthy....including Shape of Water, 3 Billboards, The Revenant and Moonlight....so I guess there has been a good sea change in Hollywood mostly over recent years in terms of Best Film awards. Long may thus continue.Bongs style is fantastic. Along with the likes of director of Shoplifters, Hirokazu Koreeda I'd say there has been some amazing asian cinema in recent years. Fab.

Don’t let subtitles put you off this brilliant film ‘Parasite’ (2019 ) a black comedy from Korea that had me engrossed right from the start. A poor family insinuate themselves into the home of a wealthy family. Initially verging on farce it takes a much darker turn and is highly absorbing movie managing to leapfrog multiple genres whilst saying something about class and the divide between rich & poor. A totally original film I have not seen anything quite like this before. Highly recommended

Arrivé, la jacket du produit était endommagé. Pas de langue française, que du coréen sous-titré anglais. Heureusement que je l'avais déjà vu au cinéma.