Parasite (Bong Joon Ho, 2019)
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Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3
Drama, Dark Comedy, Social Realism, Thriller
I don't know where to start with this film. Bong Joon Ho has made a masterpiece that is so compelling and so unlike anything I've seen before. He takes elements of many genres to create a movie that is entirely one of a kind. There were moments that made me laugh and cringe at the same time. I found myself holding my breath and tensing my legs, too.
Parasite shows all the bad in human beings--the awkward, gruesome, and greedy. The entitled, rude, and offensive. Every line and scene is entirely realistic, despite being completely goofy.
This film is important commentary of the out-of-control, capitalistic society we live in. The film shows us how serious the income inequality and class divisions truly are and what it does to the psyche. For a while, we relish seeing the system overturned--it's fun to lie and cheat and steal from those who are lucky to be fortunate enough not to live in a semi-basement apartment that is flooded with sewage every time it rains heavily. It's fun and feels right because no one chooses to be poor. But soon it isn't fun anymore. We see our faults and are reminded (sometimes subtly, sometimes by force) of the bigger picture. Just like the father says, plans never work out.
Go see this film. It is marvelous.
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