Parasite (2019) (Korean Language)

Review

132min

Genre:       Comedy, Crime, Drama

Director:     Bong Joon Ho

Cast:         Song Kang-ho, Jo Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik…and more

Writers:     Bong Joon Ho and Jin Won Han

-Synopsis-

Struggling on the margins of Korean society, a young man and his unemployed family find their fortunes changed when they infiltrate an all-too-trusting wealthy local family, only to become entangled in a web of deceitful misfortune and tragedy when their plan goes awry and morbid class divisions surface, in this socially conscious and semi-satirical South Korean tale rom the writer/director of ‘The Host’ and ‘Snowpiercer’.

It’s fair to say the of the few countries which have risen in stature over the last few decades and made an impact on a globalised society, South Korea would be the most notable of the Asian tigers, having become a major international player on the economic front as a leading tech cradle in the global arena, while exporting their culture in the form of their cuisine and a reinvention of smash-hit bubble gum pop—and of course a thriving domestic film industry with a growing footprint abroad. Now joining key figures in this Korean renaissance of Asian cinema like Park Chan-wook and Lee Chang-dong at the vanguard of this bold new frontier, writer/director Bong Joon Ho returns home from his cinematic travels making socially perceptive sci-fi studies on capitalism, class and globalisation like ‘Snowpiercer’ and ‘Okja’, delving into the rain-soaked slums and manicured suburbs of Seoul to deliver a vibrant, unforgettable and universal meditation on class warfare in today’s South Korea.

Choi Woo-shik stars as destitute young college hopeful ‘Kim Ki-woo’, living in a seedy little Seoul basement flat with his father ‘Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho), his mother ‘Kim Chung-sook’ (Chang Hyae-jin) and his feisty sister ‘Kim Ki-jeong’ (Park So-dam), a family of unemployed grifters scratching a living on the margins of South Korean society. Things take a turn toward the hopeful when Ki-woo lands a position posing as an English tutor for the teenage daughter of wealthy housewife ‘Park Yeon-kyo’ (Cho Yeo-jeong) and tech entrepreneur ‘Park Dong-ik’ (Lee Sun-kyun), as Ki-woo begins to pull his whole family into the subterfuge as servants for the gullible and deep-pocketed Park family. But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and things take a turn when their Machiavellian infiltration blows up in their face and comes face-to-face with Korean class division, and a dark secret hidden by the stylish Park family home.

It’s easy to see why ‘Parasite’ has captured the imagination of critics and award shows alike since its Palme D’Or-winning debut in Cannes last May, become something of an international sensation along the way. After all this is a daring and ingenious Korean character story with universal socially conscious themes, transcending culture and language by focusing a sharp eye on inequality and class division. Yet this perceptive human drama also happens to be genuinely hilarious, finding humour not only in the dialogue and the characters but in the con itself, not to mention the naiveté of the bored and wealthy. The result is far funnier than many a so-called comedy coming out of Hollywood these days, only to then turn and become as tense as a true home invasion thriller, before ending on a morbid, poignant and reflective note.

Bong Joon Ho’s career thus far has clearly shown his ability to take inspiration from the past to create fresh genre-blending fare and ‘Parasite’ is no different. But he reaches a new level of storytelling intricacy and sharpness here, pulling strands of DNA from classic hustler comedies like ‘Bedtime Story’, ‘The Ladykillers’ and ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ but rooting it them in a level of slick social realism that Ken Loach would be proud of, before subverting aspirational culture while pulling the curtain back on class warfare and slapping you in the face with it—adding several dimensions to the idiom ‘holding one’s nose’.

There’s no doubt that Bong is focusing his mind and lens on social inequality here, through the prism of a modern capitalist democracy and the plight of its downtrodden, highlighting the gulf between the haves and have-nots and clearly reflecting a society where the elites and ruling classes take the lion’s share while the lower classes are left fighting for the scraps. But the real triumph of ‘Parasite’ is its director’s refusal to oversimplify or paint solely in black & white, and his determination to make sure that the human condition in all its facets surfaces through all the characters . . . for better or worse.

As such it encourages the audience to take sides and invest in someone, only to then challenge them with their decision, leaving us asking uncomfortable questions about our judgements and pre-conceptions, and questioning whom on the screen we most relate to or cheer for, if anyone. Ultimately it confronts culturally and socially divided audiences with the idea of social privilege and handicap as justification, versus the prickly and inconvenient notion of accountability and personal responsibility—a difficult conversation for the times in which we live, which makes the film all the more resonant.

Little is lost in translation here thanks to the writing and performances, particularly the physicality and expression of the actors who form a truly memorable cross-generational ensemble, delivering turns which range from the quirky to the candid, but always relatable if not quite endearing. The result is a bold and ingenious, razor sharp genre-straddling socially perceptive human drama, one which bounds over borders and oceans to capture the imagination of critics and audiences across the globe. Easily crossing the subtitle barrier to deservedly steal some of the limelight during this awards season . . . although no more deserving than many other ‘foreign language’ films.

The Bottom Line…

A bold and devilishly creative, hilarious and twisting black comedy study on inequality which stylishly slips off the masks we wear, ‘Parasite’  underlines the strength and vibrancy of both Korean cinema and foreign language film by drawing you in and refusing to let you go without leaving a piece behind, masterfully misdirecting us before delivering a gritty and sobering reflection on society at large—changing the way we look at and treat the people around us . . . but leaving us with a test of trust for the future.

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