Parasite is directed by Bong Joon-Ho and stars Song Kang-Ho alongside a SAG Award winning ensemble!
Parasite won the prestigious Palme D’or at Cannes Film Festival back in May, beating Tarantino’s beloved Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. I’ve had my eye on it ever since, and the overwhelming, snowball response to this film, generated by extremely enthusiastic word-of-mouth and iconic awards show moments has made me so, so happy.
The reason I am so thrilled is that there is no world where Parasite is remotely undeserving of any of this. It is p e r f e c t . The winning feature of this film is its accessibility. I have been reluctant to even mention that the film is performed entirely in South Korean, but I think it would be hard to ignore that one of the reasons it is so excellent is because you forget it is a foreign language film 2 minutes in. Bong Joon Ho himself said it best: ‘once you overcome the 1-inch barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films’... and Parasite couldn’t be better evidence for this statement.
This film plays like a Hollywood film. It never stops moving and the characters are instantly loveable. For the sake of this review, I am going to compare it to Roma... I am aware these are both very different films and shouldn’t be defined by the fact that they are not spoken in English, but both of these films have been the ‘token’ awards-season favourites in their respective years; neither of these films are being discredited, I am just pointing out a difference: Roma takes time. It stunningly immerses you in the environment of the characters and you realise your attachment to them towards the third act, without a huge emphasis on dialogue, and a lot of wide shots which don’t allow an audience to grasp everything Cleo is thinking or feeling. Parasite moves at 100mph from the outset. We understand the family dynamic. All of the characters have a wonderful sense of wit and sarcasm, and it’s hard to not find yourself rooting for them no matter what, even at very early stages. The emotional investment in our protagonists never plateaus either, it grows with every line of dialogue.
Speaking of our protagonists, the cast is flawless. Maybe it is because of the language barrier, but I never felt that any of them hit a false note. All of the characters are alive and present, and extremely charismatic. Standouts include Song Kang Ho, Cho Yeo Jeong and Park So Dam... true scene stealers. The character dynamics are all written and performed with perfection, and I am not being hyperbolic.
Bong Joon Ho is never going to be someone I will take my eye off of now. There's as much of a performance and character in his direction just as much as the actors' performances. There's such a satisfying sense of precision and confidence. Everything is sharp, everything is clean - even the gore. This cleanliness within the direction is strongly assisted by the very modern, glossy and spacious production design. Like the direction, its presence in the film is as foundational to the film as the actors, direction, and editing. It is a film where every single element of technical filmmaking is of the highest level. Not only this, but the social commentary is so strong, and I cannot wait to rewatch and rewatch to unravel more of it.
Parasite is, intersubjectively, the best film of the year. If it wasn't for my sheer adoration and emotional attachment to Little Women and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Parasite would absolutely be my Number 1. When watching with a critical eye, it is flawless. Now a favourite in the industry following the awards circuit, Bong Joon-Ho has given global audiences a genre-defying, extremely sharp, totally original masterpiece. And that word is not used lightly.
This film plays like a Hollywood film. It never stops moving and the characters are instantly loveable. For the sake of this review, I am going to compare it to Roma... I am aware these are both very different films and shouldn’t be defined by the fact that they are not spoken in English, but both of these films have been the ‘token’ awards-season favourites in their respective years; neither of these films are being discredited, I am just pointing out a difference: Roma takes time. It stunningly immerses you in the environment of the characters and you realise your attachment to them towards the third act, without a huge emphasis on dialogue, and a lot of wide shots which don’t allow an audience to grasp everything Cleo is thinking or feeling. Parasite moves at 100mph from the outset. We understand the family dynamic. All of the characters have a wonderful sense of wit and sarcasm, and it’s hard to not find yourself rooting for them no matter what, even at very early stages. The emotional investment in our protagonists never plateaus either, it grows with every line of dialogue.
Speaking of our protagonists, the cast is flawless. Maybe it is because of the language barrier, but I never felt that any of them hit a false note. All of the characters are alive and present, and extremely charismatic. Standouts include Song Kang Ho, Cho Yeo Jeong and Park So Dam... true scene stealers. The character dynamics are all written and performed with perfection, and I am not being hyperbolic.
Bong Joon Ho is never going to be someone I will take my eye off of now. There's as much of a performance and character in his direction just as much as the actors' performances. There's such a satisfying sense of precision and confidence. Everything is sharp, everything is clean - even the gore. This cleanliness within the direction is strongly assisted by the very modern, glossy and spacious production design. Like the direction, its presence in the film is as foundational to the film as the actors, direction, and editing. It is a film where every single element of technical filmmaking is of the highest level. Not only this, but the social commentary is so strong, and I cannot wait to rewatch and rewatch to unravel more of it.
Parasite is, intersubjectively, the best film of the year. If it wasn't for my sheer adoration and emotional attachment to Little Women and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Parasite would absolutely be my Number 1. When watching with a critical eye, it is flawless. Now a favourite in the industry following the awards circuit, Bong Joon-Ho has given global audiences a genre-defying, extremely sharp, totally original masterpiece. And that word is not used lightly.
A+
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