Parasite
Korean cinema has gained a lot of recognition of late, thanks in large part to Directors like Bong Jon Ho. I will say without hyperbole that he is one of the most dynamic directors out there and there is no other Director that can take you on a ride where you have no idea where you are going and surprises you with the final destination. I consider his latest effort ‘Parasite’ to be his finest work and that says a lot considering films like ‘Snowpiercer’ and ‘Okja’ are on his resume. ‘Parasite’ is a timely and insightful film about class disparity, but it wastes no time trying lecture or moralize about it. I think Bong doesn’t mind giving you a message, but he is more interested in surprising you on where the story takes the audience. How does one classify this film? Comedy? Drama? Suspense? Thriller? Social Commentary? I have no idea how to label it (probably the point), but one thing I can say is just when you think you know where the story is going they change directions and through you a curve ball that affects the entire direction and narrative. Bong Jo Ho is a master at his craft.
The story revolves around the unemployed Ki-taek family. The family is so poor that they live in a basement apartment where they do the odd job of folding pizza boxes for income. They gratefully leave their windows open when the city fumigates the streets as they consider it free extermination for their apartment and it chases away the man who continually urinates outside their apartment window. Through a stroke of good fortune and a hook up from a college buddy, the son Min (Seo-Joon Park) lands an English tutoring job with the Uber wealthy Park family. Not only is Min amazed by the Parks wealth, but he is also charmed by their graciousness albeit naïveté. Min spots an opportunity to expand his family’s good fortune where he has his sister pose as a high in demand art tutor and recommends her for the Park’s precocious son. Not believing their good fortune of getting away with two members of their family securing jobs with the Park family on fraudulent terms, the family plots a plan to get them all employed by the Parks
Eventually they work out the family driver and housekeeper and deftly replace them with their mother and father. With the entire family employed by the Parks and the Parks being none the wiser, the Ki-Taeks are living the good life, especially when the Parks are away. Things are going well until during one night of revelry absent the Parks, the former housekeeper shows up and changes everything with her revelation. I am a firm believer in not doing spoilers in my review, so I can’t really give anymore details about the plot other than to say that the movie takes a dramatically different direction.
In a lesser film (especially ones involving class warfare) there would be good guys (usually the poor family) and bad guys (definitely the rich family). Bong Jon Ho does not make it so easy. While we sympathize and hope for the best for the Ki-take family they are not without their faults. Indeedthey do things that are criminal and contemptible. Likewise the wealthy Parks have all the snobberies one would expect of a rich family, but they are genuinely likable and sincere. There are no good guys or bad guys, just a situation that spirals out of control.
Bong Jon Ho’s ability to deftly change direction, if not genres, mid-movie is beautiful to behold. He is able to ratchet up intense thrills and tensions while not letting go of the comedy or the commentary. Part of the reason for the tension is that you know that Bong Jon Ho is taking you somewhere, but given the twists and turns prevelant in the movie you have no idea where and how high he’s willing to go. In this era of cookie cutter formula movies and sequels that offer few surprises, it is refreshing to see a Director who takes chances and offers a unique vision that isn’t tried and true. There is nothing in this film that a Director could sell to a studios as a sure fire way to make money other than it is fantastic. I can’t wait to see Bong Jon Ho’s next offering because each film seems to get progressively better.
I give this film **** stars out of five
No comments:
Post a Comment