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Parasite Movie Review: Bong Joon ho's provocative take on class difference is a masterpiece move
Parasite Movie Review: Bong Joon-ho's dramatic yet realistic take on class difference is universally loud and clear and truly petrifying. Backed with a stellar cast, Bong delivers a true masterpiece with Parasite, that haunts you well after you have seen the movie. Read Pinkvilla's full review.
Movie Name: Parasite
Parasite Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam
Parasite Director: Bong Joon-ho
Parasite Stars: 4.5/5
Metaphors play a notorious role in Parasite, with the very title of the Bong Joon-ho directorial being the emblem to shed dramatic light on the class difference prevalent all around the world, especially in Asia. Parasite reels you in with humour but soon picks pace with one shocking twist after another and it's the realistic nature of the storyline that pricks you, well after you have finished watching the film. It's the horrific realisation of how humans themselves are their very own "parasites."
When art usually meets the 'class difference' theme, the palette is more often than not, black and white; with the poor being painted as honest, pure souls while the prideful, tainted rich prey on them like insects. However, in Parasite, we see different shades of grey attached to both classes rather than a monotone classification between good and evil. The Kim family may be poor, but their over-ambition is also their fatal flaw. The Park family may be rich, but being mean is not their prerogative. They are "nice" because they're "rich" and that in turn makes them indifferent. How we're shown both families' place in the world is by their individual setting. We get a clear glimpse of their division with the framing of both households. When it comes to the Kim family, their 'cheap' home is where the parking lot should preferably be placed. With no Wi-Fi signal and constant inclusion of insects, the family would rather be immune to fumigation then close their own windows. On the other hand, the Park family's 'expensive' home is pristine, clear and almost picture-perfect. However, it's the two-level basement of horror where all the terror takes place and the mystery truly unfolds itself.
Without spoiling too much, when Kim Ki-taek's (Song Kang-ho) son Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) gets a job as a tutor to Park Dong-ik's (Lee Sun-kyun) daughter Park Da-hye (Jeong Ji-so), he infiltrates his entire family into the Park family household, without revealing their relation to the Park family. While Kim becomes Park's driver, his wife Chung-sook (Chang Hyae-jin) replaces the old housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang (Lee Jung-eun) and his daughter Kim Ki-jeong (Park So-dam) becomes Park's son Park Da-song's art tutor (Jung Hyeon-jun). The invasion implied by the family is so cunning, you don't know whether to applaud or be terrified. Maybe, both!
Given Bong's illustrious filmography, it won't be wrong to say that the filmmaker has never made a bad film. However, Parasite supersedes even those almighty expectations. Every symbol, character trait and movement has a story to tell that needs to deciphered multiple times in order to give us a fresh perspective. With clear insight on what he's trying to achieve, Bong achieves a true winner! What starts as a comedic satire soon takes a dark turn that genuinely astonishes you. It's the last frame and the sudden realisation of why the movie is called Parasite that hits you deeply.
However, Bong's brilliant storytelling couldn't have reached full justice without the brilliant cast, headlined by the reliable Song, who delivers a heartbreakingly earnest performance of a man, troubled by his unfortunate circumstances. It's criminal that his act was not recognised by The Academy. Choi is a knockout as Ki-woo and adds the baffling innocence required for his character's age. While Chang as the badass Chung-sook and Park Myung-hoon as Moon-gwang's eccentric husband Geun-sae are the surprise packages with a mean punch, it's Cho Yeo-jeong as the immaculate yet flawed Yeon-gyo and Lee Jung-eun as the ultimately terrifying Gook Moon-gwang that truly steal the show with stellar performances.
The jigsaw puzzle of social satire which is called Parasite is so electric and gut-wrenching that you're left shattered by the very end and ultimately is what makes this Bong Joon-ho experiment a masterpiece! It may be Korean in language, style and nature but the message is universally loud, clear and truly petrifying. "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films," Bong Joon-ho had shared in his Golden Globes 2020 acceptance speech. Parasite is a primary example of that.
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