Parasite: Hurawatch

Parasite: Hurawatch

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It is already a common practice in the critical debate or hot taking phase of a festival to say, “You have never watched a movie quite like X.” It has now been overused to the point where it cannot be taken seriously, similar to how far too many prominent new films are bestowed with the term masterpiece. So how do critics explain when a film is a lot more wonderfully and unpredictably innovative in a way that feels life-changing? And what do we do when witnessing a so-called masterpiece in this age of critics crying wolf? This is especially true when a movie is filled with so many “twists and turns” that the best writing about it will only come after spoiler-free time is a certainty. In this case, allow me to wear the target on my back because Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is without a doubt among the best films of 2020. Just trust me on this one.

Bong has directed several films concerning class, including “Snowpiercer” and “Okja”, however, “Parasite” may be his most daring exploration of the deep-seated inequity that defines our world today. It is a balance of tones that operates first as a satire, a zany romp about charming con artists colliding into a family of awkward, rich eccentrics. Then, Bong makes a hard right that asks us to question what we are watching, sending us into a brutal gut-punch of melodrama. Is it really that simple for the poor to step into the rich's world? The second half of “Parasite” is one of the most daring things I’ve seen in years, narratively speaking. The film is in constant danger of coming undone—it feels poised to one overly complicated progression too many unravel it—but somehow, Bong manages to keep it all together, and the result is utterly stunning.

Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) and his family are barely scraping by. They fold pizza boxes for a living, steal wi-fi from the local cafe, and open their windows during extermination pest control to ‘deal’ with their household pest problem. Kim Ki-woo’s life transforms when a friend offers to recommend him as an English tutor for a girl he has been working with, while the friend goes abroad for some time. They are interested in working with her as they have some rather disturbing fantasies about the young girl, so they don’t want any other tutor ‘slavering’ over the girl. Knowing what we do about Kim Ki-woo, it is rather puzzling why he would place such blind trust in Kim.

In hopes of furthering his plan, Kevin now changes his name and starts tutoring Park Da-hye (Jung Ziso) which, unsurprisingly, has a crush on him from the start. But Kevin has a much more elaborate plan prepared. He intends to move his entire family into the house. He very quickly convinces mother Yeon-kyo, played excellently by Jo Yeo-jeong, that she needs an art tutor for her son, thus allowing Kevin’s sister “Jessica” (Park So-dam) to enter the picture. Soon enough mom and dad are in the Park house and everything appears to be going smoothly for the Kim family. The Parks seem to be doing well too. And then everything changes.

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The script for ‘Parasite’ will capture attention, as it is one of those clever twisting and turning tales for which the screenwriter gets the most credit (Bong and Han Jin-won in this case); however, this is primarily about an exercise in visual language that reaffirms Bong as a master. Working alongside the incredible Hong Kyung-pyo (“Burning,” “Snowpiercer”), who served as the film’s cinematographer, and an all-star design team, the film is captivating in every single composition. The striking features of the Park home, with its clean emptiness, placed in sharp juxtaposition against the tight quarters of the Kim living arrangement, is not just symbolic; it is visually compelling art that serves no purpose other than to weave a narrative. And there’s a reason the Kim apartment is halfway underground—they’re caught between worlds, stuck in the deepening gap between the haves and the have-nots.

The film “Parasite” is entertaining on its own, but its subtext propounding on how the rich exploit the poor is so multi-faceted that I can’t discuss it in full without spoiling the entire movie for you (the most insightful analysis will only come after its release). Every nation has a segment of their population that receives wages only to laze around and devoid themselves of will, and in this film, it is showcased through caretakers, tutors, and drivers who assist the wealthy. Kim’s family has a shocking realization about inequitable cruelty that is beyond our imagination.

With “Parasite,” social commentary is bound to culminate into a chaotic fiction, but the film manages to refrain from coming across as didactic propaganda. In a strange way, that I am still struggling to comprehend, it is equally joyous and melancholic at the same time. Stay with me. “Parasite” has been crafted with so much precision that viewing each elegant shot brings immense pleasure, which is then graciously subdued by contemplating the layers Bong intends to expose, especially during the haunting final moments of the film.

In a year, we receive a couple Bong Joon-ho announcements. Each time, the filmmaker never fails to leave an impression. You haven’t watched anything like “Parasite” in other words. This is the one I’ll stick to, because I’ve never seen anything like it.