In what seems to be a week that keeps on giving, I am now 2 for 2 on absolutely excellent 2019 releases. Since its Palme d'Or win at Cannes a few months back, I have been impatiently awaiting this film's release and I am so glad that it exceeded my hype. Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is a stunning thriller that will keep you guessing the entire time as to where the story could possibly head next. This tale surrounding contrasting social classes and the privileges that come with being either wealthy or lower-class is told so elegantly by Joon-ho and he builds this world in such an exquisite manner. Along with its captivating direction and unforgettable performances, this film also contains such a unique blend of comedy that I was not expecting but made the story that much richer. Although I was honestly anticipating a bit darker and jarring of a twist, Joon-ho's storytelling abilities are still unmatched, as this will easily be our next Best Foreign Language Film winner.
All living together unemployed under one roof, the Kim family has learned how to survive in the bleakest of circumstances. That is until the son Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi) finds a job tutoring the young daughter of the incredibly wealthy Park family. As they begin to form a close bond, Ki-woo eventually gets his entire family jobs working for this one glamorous family until they accidentally get involved in a deadly and unexpected secret. Joon-ho's script and direction throughout this film are incredibly detail-oriented, as he brings such an expert level of storytelling to what could have easily been a B-movie horror premise. Parasite contains such a perfect balance of genre that I was not quite expecting either. While I assumed this was a drama, there was also a surprising amount of hard-hitting humor in the script as well. Thankfully, Joon-ho knows exactly when to manipulate his audience for laughs and when to strike them down the worst. I found the pacing of this film to be amazing, as it avoided the typical three-act structure while still drawing me in more and more. It did not necessarily need that type of structure, however, because of how relentlessly captivating this story was. The excellent tension between the two families and clever use of choreography that was built throughout this film could have not have been done by anyone other than Joon-ho and this absolutely thrilling aspect never let me off my toes.
I'm gaining more and more of an appreciation for Joon-ho's filmmaking the more that I see from him and it's becoming much more obvious to me how smart he is with incorporating themes of class and wealth into his plots in such ingenious ways. Some might even say that this is where his strongest filmmaking abilities lie and I probably could not argue against that. The contrast between social classes and wealth in this film is so interesting and made for my whole enjoyment. Seeing how hard the Kim family's lives were and how smart they had to be to thrive compared to that of the easygoing and carefree Park family made for this film's best dynamic. That does not necessarily make the Park family bad people, however, which is what makes these characters so complex and engaging. I really began to wonder who were the supposed protagonists or antagonists by the end of this film and while it is undoubtedly emotional, it winded me up and threw my expectations into a tailspin. The only aspect of this script that I was a tad disappointed by was the twist in the plot and how dark its story eventually becomes. I have been hearing for months now the hype about how twisted and unpredictable this story turns to and while its dark twist is interesting, I was actually expecting a bit more. It's incredibly effective nonetheless but I kept waiting and waiting for what might happen next. Which is a twist in itself I assume, leading me on and leaving me to suffer in ambiguity.
While its story is executed almost flawlessly, the performances throughout Parasite are what really bring its audience to relation with its characters. Every single performance of the members of the Kim and Park families were fantastic and they all were able to expertly get into the minds of these wildly different people. The way that their familial counterparts interacted and even communicated with each other was fascinating, as even in just the simple ways that they talk to each other were so thought-out and deliberate. The Kim family, from Ki-woo and his sister Ki-jung (So-dam Park) to their mom Chung-sook (Hye-jin Jang) and dad Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song) were all amazing and provided such detailed comparisons to the Park family of Yeon-kyo (Yeo-jeong Jo), Dong-ik (Sun-kyun Lee), Da-hye (Ji-so Jung), and Da-song (Hyun-jun Jung). It's made clear that Joon-ho cares intensely about these characters, as he treats them with such boldness and grace. The cinematography by Kyung-pyo Hong and the entire production design team were also very prevalent in displaying their skills as well throughout this film. This movie, while only shot at two different houses, was absolutely beautiful and every shot looked so meticulously planned out. The sharp and subtle detail in both the camera and mise en scène made for such an elegant, visual experience.
Parasite is one hell of an exciting film and one whose script is bursting at its seams with fascinating ideas. Bong Joon-ho's mind continues to astound me and the way that he is able to take a simple thrilling premise and turn it into an exploration of class privilege is so impressive. He is definitely one of the greatest filmmakers of today and this narrative only proves that point, as I was continually taken aback by this story. I would suggest avoiding the trailers for this one and just going in blind. You'll be thanking me later.
My Rating: ★★★★½
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