Parasite (Review)

Acclaimed as one of the best films of the past decade, Parasite won many prizes (e.g. winner of the Palme d’Or). The Oscar as best movie of 2019 was the typical icing on the cake between the recognitions received. The story is about antithesis of modern society and contrasts between who struggles to survive and who lives in a lavish opulence. Parasite is an extremely well-made and entertaining film.

The Story

The protagonist of the movie is a humble family, the Kim’s, hustling living in a cheap house in the suburb of an unknown Korean city.

Kim Ki-woo, the son of the family and the clever moral protagonist of the story, is hired as the English tutor of a young rich teen girl, who lives with her family, the Park’s, in a luxurious villa. Kim Ki-woo gains confidence in the rich household very quickly and he convinces the Park’s mother to hire his sister, Kim Ki-jung, as an Art tutor of the youngest member of the family. Kim Ki-woo and his sister, through some smart tricks, manage to fire the Park’s driver and the house nurse, instead of them they succeed in hiring their parents, the mother, Chung-sook, as housekeeper and the father, Kim Ki-taek, as driver.

At this point of the story Kim’s family has completely reversed its fortune and from being all unemployed, now they have well remunerated roles in the Park’s family. They live as parasites in a dream house and it seems that nothing could go wrong. But suddenly their luck runs out and things are going to be weird and twisty. We will stop her with the story to avoid spoilers.

Comedy and bloody twists

Parasite has been defined as a black comedy thriller. Indeed, most scenes are hilarious, especially when the Kim’s acquire the trust of the Park’s who don’t know they are relatives. The ending takes more from the dramatic and suspense genre, because of unexpected twists and bloody struggles. The movie succeeds pretty well in combining all of these genres. What the audience appreciated most of the movie is the ability to stimulate reflection in each scene, typical of Japanese and Korean romances, and to show how reversal of fortune can be (easily) swift in life.

Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017)) is the director of this movie which has become the most seen Korean film in history, grossing more than $254 million worldwide from a producing budget of (only) $11 million. So, movie lovers should have this director on their radar!

Picture: Copyright CJ Entertainment