REVIEW: ‘Parasite,’ now available to rent and buy
Photo: Ki-jung (Park So-dam) and Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) are sister and brother in Parasite. Photo courtesy of NEON + CJ Entertainment / Provided by press site with permission.
Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning movie Parasite is a revelatory and clever fable of class, society, family and morality. This dark comedy, with twinges of suspense and drama, is a fascinating portrait of two families on a collision course with each other and seemingly unable to augment their respective trajectories.
The film opens with a focus on the humble living of the Kim Family — a mother (Chung-sook, played by Jang Hye-jin) and father (Ki-taek, played by Song Kang-ho) who live in a run-down apartment in Seoul, South Korea, with their daughter (Ki-jung, played by Park So-dam) and son (Ki-woo, played by Choi Woo-sik). Although times are tough and the money isn’t exactly flowing, they are able to operate lovingly and supportingly as a family unit.
Then opportunity presents itself when Ki-woo lands a job as a tutor in a fancy house owned by a rich couple (Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Yeo-jeong). Almost immediately he begins to play the part of a well-qualified tutor who can easily make his way in this rich world of privilege and splendor. In fact, he’s so confident of his ruse, that when the couple start looking for another tutor for their other child, he lets them know about the perfect person for the job: his sister, although they don’t know that he’s pushing an unqualified family member into their life.
And so it goes with Parasite. Eventually Chung-sook and Ki-taek follow their children into this ritzy house, putting on the airs that they are not all from the same family. One is a maid, the other a driver, and the children are helpful tutors.
When this game of charades starts to unravel, the family members — on both sides — attempt to keep their fantasies intact. Chung-sook and Ki-taek are worried about getting found out, while the rich couple try to keep up appearances with their scrutinizing and equally rich friends.
Bong’s film is a masterpiece of social commentary, mostly because the plot and characters are finely drawn in their own right, rather than being beholden to some overbearing message or thesis. On its own merits, Parasite stands alone as a thrilling and often darkly comedic tale of switched familial roles, but bubbling beneath the surface is a biting critique of how society is structured and how class is enforced.
The acting is wondrous, especially from Song and Jang, who try to hold everything together as the paterfamilias and materfamilias. This experiment, which starts out harmless enough, soon devolves into a sordid, even violent affair, and they quickly need to prioritize their life and protect their children. As they descend into this uncertain future, their emotion, their shame, their humor and their love are evident on their worried stares into the distance, in their constant scheming to come out on top, in their enduring care for each other and their children.
The direction of the movie is stellar. Bong, a master of perspective and angles, is able to tell the story of these two families from so many interesting vantage points. He and his cinematographer, Kyung-pyo Hong, use the rich couple’s house as a cinematic playground — creeping the lens in and around the action. Jung Jae-il’s music also heightens the mood and keeps the pivotal plot points intense and taut.
Parasite, the first foreign-language movie to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, deserves its accolades and acclaim because of its novel storytelling and intricately designed characterizations. This fable is a fascinating watch and leaves the audience thinking about the opportunities and hard truths of society and reality.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Parasite (2019). Directed by Bong Joon-ho. Written by Bong and Han Jin-wan. Starring Song Kang-ho, Cho Yeo-jeong, Lee Jeong-eun, Choi Woo-sik, Park So-dam, Lee Sun-kyun and Jang Hye-jin. Running time: 132 minutes. Rated R for language, some violence and sexual content. Rating: 
