Parasite (Bong Joon Ho, 2019): South Korea

Reviewed by Maria Zermeno. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020.

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The 2019 film Parasite written and directed by Bong Joon Ho is a must see and an absolute masterpiece. This dramatic crime film will leave you on the edge of your seat because it is so perfectly executed and will truly make you think. Before watching this film, I had no idea what I was getting myself into and had no clue what it was about. Once the film ended, I had no other choice but to stand up and applaud for how amazing the film was. Parasite begins one way and makes you think as though you know what’s going to happen next and how it will end, but once you hit the one hour mark it takes an unexpected dark turn. This film begins with a poor family finding ways to make ends meet by conning people out of their money. The eldest son Ki-woo, played by Choi Woo-shik, is convinced by his friend to tutor the daughter of a rich family in order to make a steady pay. At first, Ki-woo was hesitant but nonetheless he agrees to take on the task and with the help of his sister Ki-Jeong, played by Park So-dam, he forges school documents in order for the rich family to believe he is well educated and hire him as a tutor. Ki-woo gets hired as the tutor and shortly thereafter his parents and sister con the rich family into hiring them as well. What essentially begins as a film about hierarchy and how the rich and poor differ turns into something much more twisted as the poor family uncovers a dark secret hidden within the rich family’s home. The poor family perfectly plans out their way to scheme the rich family but it all takes an unexpected turn when things don’t appear as they seem. Parasite is so unbelievably amazing and deserves to win several academy awards. The actors do an incredible job at bringing these deceitful characters to life on the big screen and perfectly portray their characters. The script and screenplay are so well written because the film really messes with your mind and keeps you so engaged in the story. There was never a dull moment and I truly did not know how the film could end but when it did, it was so carefully thought out and fit the story so perfectly. At the beginning of the film, everything seems to go as planned and even the color scheme seems brighter and has more scenes shot during the daylight, but as soon as Ki-woo and his family uncover the dark secret the scenes mostly take place at night or with darker lighting. This technique perfectly shows how at the beginning of the film, their plan is going accordingly and everything seems to be going smoothly but as soon as the unexpected happens the color scheme becomes darker. Bong Joon Ho is such an incredible director for being able to create and bring to life such an amazing and suspenseful film in the way he did. Parasite is an incredible film that everyone should see and if they don’t they are missing out on one of the most perfectly directed films in cinema.


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