Monday, February 17, 2020

Film Review: Parasite

Film: Parasite
Film Number: 9
Stars: 4.5

I finally got to see Parasite - after getting mugged on the way to the cinema on Friday, I was unsure I'd get to see this gem.



I'm so glad I got there in the end.

So what can I tell you about this little known film that hails from South Korea and won the Best Film Oscar this year - the first foreign language film to take out the award.

Well, it's a mix of social satire, black comedy, thriller and light horror (I had no trouble with that bit, so it has to be very mild as I normally can't do horror). Always a good mix. It's bends the genre norms. It starts out as one film, ends up as another.

It's subtitled - other than a few words in English - in context - it's completely in Korean.

It's well set - the setting and the cinematography are astounding, set in the suburbs of a Korean city, part in an affluent suburb, the other part in the boondocks.

The plot? I'm not going to say too much. The more you know going in would just spoil the experience if you see it. It does explore the divide between rich and poor in ways you'd never think of.

What you can know. The Kims are a family of grifters, - Mum, Dad, Son, Daughter - all struggling to make ends meet. They're a fun, loving family down on their luck and trying to scratch a living any way they can.

The eldest son is offered an opportunity to tutor the daughter of a rich family.

The Parks are a well to do family living in an architectural wonder of a house in the better part of town. Also a nuclear family with two kids.

And I'm going to say no more. What comes next is two hours of sheer delight. It's surprising, it's fun. It's farcical bits are laugh out loud funny. There are elements of Hitchcock here too. The houses provides the ultimate setting. There is great foreboding and some wonderful foreshadowing.

This is a great film.

The nearest foreign film I've seen which had a similar affect was The Secret in their Eyes - the Argentinian masterpiece, which the Yanks butchered a few years ago - I sincerely hope they don't try to remake this film. It's near perfect.

Bong Joon-Ho's script is fantastic - as is his direction.

The cast, all Korean, are all wonderful. Shout out to Yeo - Jeong Jo, who plays the rich Mum with a stunning naivety. The housekeeper character is wonderful too. By the end of the film you end up loving most of the characters for many different reasons.

There is so much to get from this film - it leaves you thinking and makes you wonder about the world.

I know this is a really vague review, but seriously, the less you know going into this film, the better. It's really awesome. Go in and be happily surprised.

Thinking about it, would I give the Oscar to this or 1917? I think the Academy did well. Though I found 1917 to be technically stronger, there is so much good to admire, enjoy and respect about this film. It's also far more accessible than 1917 as there's not the unrelenting violence of war.

Go see this. It's worth it. It's also been released in a black and white version - which I may go see. I think it would turn a lot of things on their ear.

Today's Song:




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