*This review will contain spoilers. Sorry, there is just no way around this with a film like this. Sue me.*
Parasite is a unique movie that can only spring out of the genius mind of Korean visionary director Bong Joon-Ho. And the first thing many audience members will notice is that this film is absolutely gorgeous. It is amazing that, without any grand vistas or large spaces, this true auteur Mr. Joon-Ho has sculpted a fantastic series of shots that will stick with you long after the film is over.
For what it is asked to do, the script is fairly competently written. Characters are well established and distinct and the movie is nicely structured into two distinct parts. The first part centers on the Kims, a family of lovable down on their luck scammers, as they work their way into the good graces of the wealthy and very suburban Park family. I won’t spoil the exact details of second half of the film but, suffice it to says, the films pivots in a, let’s say, interesting direction.
And it is this pivot and what it represents that is really my primary problem with Parasite. Before this point, the film definitely touched upon issues unique to Korean culture but, after the pivot point, they really come to center stage. And as a reviewer and a westerner, I have to review my personal experience with the film. This film seems to addresses a lot of issues with class and wealth that seem emblematic to South Korean society. And I just don’t think western audiences can relate. In particular, it is the introduction of a pivotal character who lives underneath the home of a wealthy man and has come to almost worship the wealthy man he only knows from magazine articles in his bunker. Even as metaphor, it is so outside the bounds of western societal that any western audience member will just be left confused and bewildered for the rest of the film.
At the end of the end of day, I think Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite is worth a watch, if only to see an auteur director at the top of his visual game. For maximum enjoyment, if at all possible, you should try see it on the big screen at your local multiplex or personal cinema.
- Elon Musk Reviews: Parasite - November 3, 2019