{"id":53,"date":"2024-06-15T16:59:29","date_gmt":"2024-06-15T16:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/?p=53"},"modified":"2024-10-12T21:17:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-12T21:17:00","slug":"parasite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/2024\/06\/15\/parasite\/","title":{"rendered":"Parasite"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Parasite<\/strong>\u00a0 (2019)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 NEON\/Comedy-Thriller\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 132 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (language, some violence, sexual content)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Bong Joon-Ho\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-Won\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Jeong Jae-Il\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: Hong Kyung-Pyo\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: October 25, 2019 (Philadelphia, PA)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spoken in Korean w\/English subtitles<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Rating<\/strong>: ****<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0I truly believe I have just witnessed this year\u2019s strongest contender for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Directed by Bong Joon-Ho (The Host), Parasite<\/strong> 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\u2019t be fair to ruin the surprise but trust me when I say it\u2019s worth waiting for.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0One of my fellow critics said in his review that the best writing about Parasite<\/strong> will occur when plot spoilers are no longer an issue. I\u2019ll 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\u2019t matter that he doesn\u2019t have any qualifications; he\u2019s good at faking it. It also helps that his sister is an artist when it comes to forging documents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0While 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\u2019re related. Once they\u2019re all in, things seem to finally be going well for the Kims. Then EVERYTHING changes. So endeth the plot description.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0I\u2019ve consciously decided not to make this too lengthy a review. Parasite<\/strong> is one of those movies that work better if you don\u2019t know too many details going in. I\u2019ll 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\u2019 spacious home and the Kims\u2019 cramped apartment. Note also how the Kims\u2019 apartment is half-underground\/half-above ground; it\u2019s meant to illustrate how they\u2019re 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\u2019t be possible without the help of cinematographer Hong Kyung-Po who films Parasite<\/strong> in such a way that it doesn\u2019t call attention to itself stylistically.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0All of the performances, every single one, in Parasite<\/strong> are superb. There\u2019s a lot of character depth here. What\u2019s especially interesting is that they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u00a0This is the point where I wrap things up. Like I said, I don\u2019t want to give away too much. In the case of Parasite<\/strong>, less is definitely more. I will say that it\u2019s one of the year\u2019s most original films as well as one of the best. I\u2019ve never seen anything quite like it. That\u2019s not an exaggeration either. Parasite<\/strong> is an absolute must-see. DO NOT MISS IT!<\/p>\r\n

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