URBAN

m review
PARASITE (2020)
Cast:
• Song Kang-Ho
• Lee Sun-Kyun
• Cho Yeo-Jeong
• Choi Wo-Sik
• Park So-Dam
Director: Bong Joon-Ho
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Parasite director Bong Joon Ho has in the past created films
about the different social classes and the difference between
them. Such as Snowpiercer for example, but Parasite is a huge
improvement on creating a story based around this because
it has no bias towards either class. In Bongs own thrilling way
he shows how both classes can be considered parasites in this
shocking thriller.
The beginning of the film we are introduced to the Kim family
which consist of parents Ki-taeck (Kang-Ho Song) and Chungsook
(Jang-Hye-jin) and their older children Ki-jung (Park
So-dam) and Ki-Woo (Choi-Woo-shik). They live in poverty,
struggling to make ends meet, daily scrounging for wi-fi signals
and using the free fumigation from outside to get rid of their
bug infestation creates an image of how hard the family’s life
is. Turns out it is not all bad though, when the son of the family
Ki-Woo receives an opportunity to imitate an English teacher
for the teenage daughter of the upper class Park family. The
Park family are polar opposites to the Kims, they reside in a
huge modernised mansion, the Dad of the family Donk Ik owns
an IT company, whilst his wife Yeon gyo stays at home looking
after their two children with assistance from their persistent
housekeeper. Eventually the two families worlds intertwine as
the Kim family one by one manage to deceive the Park family
and con their way to gain different roles in the house. Using
a perfectly plotted plan, which director Bong brilliantly puts
together using subtle comedy and impeccable plotting skills.
This makes you really begin to see how this lower class family
can be considered as parasites, using lies and criminal activities
to take advantage of the Park family. It is almost like a heist film
with similarities to Ocean’s Eleven but eventually you realise it
is may be going too well for the Kim family. Inevitably it ends
up emulating Reservoir Dogs in how quickly a perfect plan can
change for the worse. To completely shock you, Bong takes this
film and completely turns it on its head. He changes the genre
of the film you think you are watching to a completely different
style of movie and creates the perfect upstairs downstairs story
that he has been steering to since the beginning. Using the
social classes but in a thrilling way with a compelling story which
would be hard to talk about without giving away spoilers. He
finds a way of creating a balance between not knowing who
is the villain in the story, the Park family are oblivious to the
problems but in person are very nice to the Kim family. However,
behind their backs they talk badly of them in a really snobby
way, making the audience create opinions on who they think
is right or wrong. The cast are all stand outs, and each provide
their own individual presence in the film, such as great dark
comedy from Moon-Gwang and Da-hye and the ability to switch
emotions by Ki-Taek. In one scene he just uses his facial expression
to provide a powerful insight into how he is feeling during
a driving scene after his house has been affected by floods, but
has to put it behind him so he can get back to his goal of taking
advantage of the Park family by posing as a personal driver.
There really are no minor characters because the cast is so small
but each one plays such an influential part.
The end of the movie is haunting in ways I can not really explain
without spoiling too much. There are so many scenes that will
leave the viewer taking deep breaths out of fear of what might
unfold next in this masterpiece, Bong just surprises the audience
again and again leaving you gobsmacked and eventually
playing with your emotions by using hope. Eventually just destroying
every bit of hope you had for how you personally want
the movie to finish, but I guarantee you do not expect anything
coming your way. This is so happens to be the best way to go
into the film. Parasite will be in cinemas across the UK from 7th
February 2020.
Photo by the official website
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