Parasite  (2019)    NEON/Comedy-Thriller    RT: 132 minutes    Rated R (language, some violence, sexual content)    Director: Bong Joon-Ho    Screenplay: Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-Won    Music: Jeong Jae-Il    Cinematography: Hong Kyung-Pyo    Release date: October 25, 2019 (Philadelphia, PA)    Cast: Kang-Ho Song, Hyae Jin Chang, Woo-Sik Choi, So-Dam Park, Yeo-Jeong Jo, Sun-Kyun Lee, Jung Ziso, Hyun-Jun Jung, Jeong-Eun Lee, Myeong-Hoon Park, Seo-Joon Park, Geun-Rok Park.      Spoken in Korean w/English subtitles

Rating: ****

 I truly believe I have just witnessed this year’s strongest contender for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Directed by Bong Joon-Ho (The Host), Parasite is a wholly original work that starts out as a semi-satirical look at the ever-growing divide between the haves and have nots then takes a sharp turn into darker territory with what has to be the wildest plot twist of the year. Of course, it will NOT be revealed here. It wouldn’t be fair to ruin the surprise but trust me when I say it’s worth waiting for.

 One of my fellow critics said in his review that the best writing about Parasite will occur when plot spoilers are no longer an issue. I’ll do my best to work with what I have. The story centers on the Kims, dad Ki-Taek (Song), mom Chung-Sook (Chang), son Ki-Woo (Choi) and daughter Ki-Jeong (Park), a family of con artists living in a shabby semi-basement apartment with a beautiful view of an alley used by drunks as a urinal. They make a living working low-paying jobs like folding pizza boxes. One day, family friend Min (Seo-Joon Park) visits with a proposal. He asks Ki-Woo to take over his job as an English tutor for the wealthy Park family. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t have any qualifications; he’s good at faking it. It also helps that his sister is an artist when it comes to forging documents.

 While interviewing with the mother (Jo) to tutor her teenage daughter Da-Hye (Ziso), he learns that her young son Da-Song (Jung) is a gifted artist. He suggests hiring Ki-Jeong, in the guise of the cousin of a former classmate, as an art tutor. After that, the two siblings conspire to get the Parks to hire Dad as their driver and Mom as the new housemaid. Of course, the Kims never tell the Parks that they’re related. Once they’re all in, things seem to finally be going well for the Kims. Then EVERYTHING changes. So endeth the plot description.

 I’ve consciously decided not to make this too lengthy a review. Parasite is one of those movies that work better if you don’t know too many details going in. I’ll make a few general comments and leave it at that. Like he did in Snowpiercer a few years back, Bong Joon-Ho, fluent in film language, shows the vast chasm that exists between the privileged and underclass. Look at the contrast between the Parks’ spacious home and the Kims’ cramped apartment. Note also how the Kims’ apartment is half-underground/half-above ground; it’s meant to illustrate how they’re caught between worlds, that of the rich and that of the poor. The director, a master of scene composition, makes great use of space. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the help of cinematographer Hong Kyung-Po who films Parasite in such a way that it doesn’t call attention to itself stylistically.

 All of the performances, every single one, in Parasite are superb. There’s a lot of character depth here. What’s especially interesting is that they’re believable while a little bit on the comical (to a point) side. The little boy is a real piece of work. While never explicitly said, that kid has ADHD. Are his parents so dense that they think great wealth means never having to take the kid to a doctor? ANYWAY, this movie has great acting.

 This is the point where I wrap things up. Like I said, I don’t want to give away too much. In the case of Parasite, less is definitely more. I will say that it’s one of the year’s most original films as well as one of the best. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. That’s not an exaggeration either. Parasite is an absolute must-see. DO NOT MISS IT!

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