Film Review: Parasite (2019) dir. Bong Joon-ho

(aka one of the best movies of all time)

It is hard to talk about 2019's Best Picture winner without heaping praise with words like masterpiece, juggernaut, magnum opus, or any other hyperbolic exclamation that feels all too common nowadays. However, these are exactly the exaggerated responses Bong Joon-ho's Parasite demands. It is rare that you see a film that leaves you buzzing with excitement to breakdown every frame, every line, and every expression to anyone who will listen, so here I am, 2 years later, still doing precisely that.

If you have yet to see Parasite, this is your call to do so. It is without a doubt one of the best films of the 21st century and one of the most captivating, unique, and visionary films I have ever seen. It is also filled with some of the most insane twists ever on screen, so it is best to go in completely blind. For the purposes of this review, I will be avoiding specific plot spoilers, though I will be talking about major themes of the film, so consider yourself warned.

Parasite follows the lives of the Kim family - father Ki-taek, mother Chung-sook, daughter Ki-jung, and son Ki-woo - living figuratively (and literally) below the poverty line in Seoul. Though highly clever and resourceful, the Kim's make their money by doing various low-paying jobs, such as folding pizza boxes for a delivery service. Their lives change though when the friend of Ki-woo sets him up with a job tutoring the young daughter of the wealthy Park family. Naïve and ignorant, the Park family is easily hoodwinked by the remaining members of the Kim family who one-by-one take turns posing as unrelated, but highly qualified individuals looking for jobs; Ki-taek a professional driver, Chung-sook a housekeeper, and Ki-jung an art therapist. By doing so, the Kim family is able to live off the Park family in ways that benefit both families. What unfolds after this could have easily been a clichéd - albeit, entertaining - liar-exposed tale of deception and justice. But, as I am sure you have guessed, this couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, what we get is a dark comedy/thriller that serves as a commentary about class warfare and the inescapable grasp of capitalism that prevents so many from climbing the social ladder.

One of the most impressive aspects of Parasite is the genius screenplay. The story weaves in and out of scenes with such precision that the movement of the camera becomes somewhat of a narrator itself. And it is important to note how vital this is in a movie where some of the scenes are so insane that we need a strong screenplay in order for them to fit in. And here, it is not that they merely fit in, they create the message of the film. It makes you feel like an omniscient observer; watching as each of the character's lives come undone in ways only someone of their specific social standing could experience. The screenplay actually starts off quite light and simple, but then morphs into something ghastly and dark. We literally see the characters whom we thought were the good guys become more and more parasitic and desperate as they get used to the idea of money, to the idea of simply having. And it is that having that leads to the yearning for more that brings about destruction and inevitable failure.

Bong Joo-ho once said his initial concept for this film was infiltration. It seems obvious who infiltrates who, but we must ask ourselves: is that really what is happening here? Or is it that the rich are able to capitalize off the desperation of those in the lower class to the point where they would do anything to fit into the upper class world. But what is interesting is the Kim family doesn't want to BE the Park family - actually, they despise and mock them - they just want what the Park family has (money, respect, etc.). Another major reason why I love this movie so much is because all of the characters are deeply flawed and are victim to the exact same way of thinking that is created by living in a hierarchal society: they all believe themselves to be better than the people below them. Yes, even the Kim family is shown to have prejudicial attitudes towards individuals of the underclass; as if their standing is somehow far greater than that of their neighbour. It emphasizes how very complex and morally-confusing this social system that we live in truly is. If the rich view the poor as parasites, and the poor view the rich AND the poorer as parasites, then who is the real parasite? The film doesn't want to give anything away; who the viewer believes to be the parasite says more about them than the film itself. However, I think the answer is no one and everyone. No one is at fault for what they do to survive, as it is the very structure of capitalist society that creates parasites of us all.