Believe the hype. Visionary South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho has crafted a masterpiece with his latest thriller Parasite, building on an already incredible body of work to create perhaps his best film to date and one of the best films of 2019. Combining a complex, slowly unravelling mystery with a timely social commentary, a terrific cast, unsettling score, and gorgeous visuals which give the film a rich, distinct style – this is a movie that will suck you into its story and get its hooks in you early as it takes you on a ride unlike anything you have seen this year, maybe ever.
More than most films of recent times, this is one where it is almost impossible to discuss without venturing into spoiler territory. Having said this, it wouldn’t be much of a review if we didn’t delve into the story at all so I’ll attempt to be as spoiler free as possible. We follow the Kim family, a poor lower-class family in South Korea struggling to make ends meet as they live in their tiny, dilapidated “semi-basement” home in a poor neighbourhood. With none of the family members being employed, it is naturally cause for celebration when son Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi) is given a job as an English tutor for Da-hye Park (Ji-so Jung), the daughter of a rich businessman Dong-ik (Sun-kyun Lee) and his paranoid, overzealous wife Yeon-kyo (Yeo-jeong Jo). Once in favour with the Park’s, Ki-woo opens the door for his family to begin to take over key positions of staff within the home. Daughter Ki-jung (So-dam Park) is set to work as the young son’s art tutor, mother Chung-sook (Hye-jin Jang) becomes the family housekeeper and father Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song) gets to work as the family’s driver. If you think you know where the story is going from here, trust me when I say you don’t.
Joon-Ho takes this tale of class warfare and economic inequality and imparts it on the audience not only through the story itself, but also through distinct yet subtle visual cues and a unique colour palette. The Kim family lives below the rest of society, and they look out of their cramped basement house onto the surrounding streets, seeing but never truly belonging. In comparison, the Park family live in an opulent, spacious modern mansion, set well above ground level with multiple storeys and every perk you could expect from a wealthy property. The colour palette for the Kim’s is dark and dingy, full of greys and blacks, with everything made to look dirty and well worn; colours faded and darkened to blend in with the grimy surroundings. Conversely, the Park’s residence is as modern as you can get; a natural clean aesthetic full of rich greys and blacks accented with pops of vibrant colour from wood and natural lighting. The backyard of the property is a particular highlight, shot to look like an almost unnatural shade of green; it draws the attention of every member of the Kim family when they see the property – in awe of such a natural and common thing, yet one which feels strange and foreign to them. Joon-Ho takes this metaphor one step further in a more literal sense as to how each family perceives the natural world, with an event as simple as a rainstorm to the Park’s, potentially catastrophic to the Kim’s.
Going hand in hand with the theme of class differentiation is an exploration of greed and the effect it can have on a person’s mindset, warping even the most innocent intentions into something sinister. Joon-Ho illustrates this change by letting the tension slowly bubble away under the surface of the film before dialling it up to 11 all too quickly, shattering your nerves and making the final act something that needs to be seen to be believed. Throughout the journey he dips into other genres such as horror and comedy as needed to add to the story and the seemingly worlds apart views of these two families. The humour especially is extremely well timed so that the film never loses tension but is just sporadic and off-kilter enough to hit you hard in the funny bone. While it may be a bizarre brand of comedy for some audiences, the tone works for the world Joon-Ho has built and it pays off in big ways. Jaeil Jung’s terrific score adds yet another level to the film, alternating between bright and happy to dour and unsettling and subverting your expectations from scene to scene as to what music should match each scene. It’s a subtly effective way to create tension and fear out of an otherwise normal setting and it complements the visuals beautifully.
The cast of Parasite is an impressive mix of old and new South Korean talent, led by Joon-Ho’s frequent collaborator Kang-ho Song as Ki-taek, the patriarch of the Kim clan. It’s a powerhouse performance, as Song passes through multiple emotional states, often relying on facial expressions and subtle bodily movements to convey his current mental state. You feel every emotion Ki-taek goes through in order to achieve his goal and it is a tough journey to endure, in the best way possible, as we follow him struggling to lift his family out of their poverty-stricken situation. Alongside him is young actor Woo-sik Choi as Ki-woo, the son of the Kim family and connective tissue to the Park’s. Choi has a lot of work to do in his role and carries the film for a good portion, introducing us to all the members of the Park family and establishing the dynamic between the two groups. He is more than up to the task and showcases a great emotional range as he struggles to comprehend the differences between the two family’s lives and how he can help his own family. Jeong-eun Lee is another standout as the Park’s housekeeper Moon-gwang, a friendly yet sinister presence in the house she has one of the most difficult and interesting character arcs to work with and she pulls it off without a hitch.
Parasite is one of those rare films which transcends the language barrier. Its themes and lessons are universal and apply to everyone regardless of the language you speak. Joon-ho has spoken publicly about his wish for this film to encourage more people to see subtitled films and he has made a masterful demonstration for the power of foreign films. With an outstanding cast, edge of your seat story featuring timely social commentary and a terrific score, this is as complete a package as you can get and Bong Joon-ho cements his position as one of the greatest directors working today with it. Already the focus of much critical acclaim, here’s hoping Parasite is a big hit come awards season as it deserves all of them.
Parasite stars Kang-ho Song, Woo-sik Choi, So-dam Park, Hye-jin Jang, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo & Jeong-eun Lee – in cinemas now.