Movie Review – Parasite – Bong Joon-ho2 min read

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s dark comedy Parasite made history this month by becoming the first foreign film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Premiering at Cannes last spring, Bong’s multi-award-winning film has gotten both critical appraise and a positive reaction by audiences.

Like any other successful release, some were sceptical on the internet (particularly Reddit) about the ‘hype’ surrounding Parasite.

I delayed my viewing of the film as I thought Sam Mendes’ 1917 would win Best Picture this year. But after a landslide victory for Parasite, my curiosity peaked and I managed to finally watch it this week.

The story follows a poor family that manages to con their way strategically to secure jobs at the household of a wealthy family.

The premise may seem simple but the amount of dedication the Kim family take to get out of their current plight is both admirable and fascinating.

Parasite highlights a conflict that happens worldwide as it shows how far one can go to jump over the obstacles our society. The obstacle in this case is the division of wealth and class as well as the extreme parallels that come with it.

While one family admires the rain from the comfort of their million-dollar home, another is rushing to save all their belongings as their poor neighbourhood floods.

The comedic elements of this movie are balanced out by the hard-hitting and even heart-breaking reality that the Kim family has to face.

No matter how hard they try to escape poverty, fate brings them back to where they started, but at a drastic cost.

Movie-goers are entertained by the Park family’s gullibility throughout the movie but left with a bitter taste of their ignorance and lack of empathy by the end.

Hong Kyung-pyo’s cinematography was amazing and kept me at the edge of my seat at times where the intensity sky-rocketed.

Ultimately, I think this movie is about how family comes first regardless of circumstances and by the end we can empathise with Kang-ho Song and Choi Woo-shik, who put in an outstanding performance.

Parasite definitely deserved the Academy Award this year and I recommend everyone to watch it.

Movie Rating: 9/10

Source of Image: ABC