Parasite Review

Certificate: 15

Running time: 

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Chang Hyae-Jin, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Sun-kyun 

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho

The story: The lives of two families, one poor and one rich, become intertwined when the eldest son of the poor family becomes a tutor for the rich family. 

The verdict: This is a really tricky review to write, and not because of my feelings on the film but because this is a film that is best watched with as little prior knowledge as possible - certainly watching how it unfolds and what that entails is part of the fun. I would like to think, or at least I hope, that my reviews are always largely spoiler free anyway, but just know that the utmost caution has been applied whilst writing this review! 

So Parasite! I have to say that this is a film that I not only really liked, but really respected as well. Parasite is kind of a complete anomaly of a film - it’s both a film that can be enjoyed by the mainstream audience but is also an inherently art house film, it’s both a joy to watch but also pretty bleak, and it seamlessly blends genres in a way that it feels almost impossible to categorise it as any one type of film. 

What I loved most about Parasite is how perfectly calibrated and choreographed it is. Every frame is perfect and precise, the cinematography is stunning and each sequence is something that I couldn’t tear my eyes from. There are so many small details in this film and so much symmetry in so many of the shots, it is actually genius when you begin to realise just how much thought has gone into it. Director Bong has filled this film with metaphors, satire and social commentary and it’s all wrapped up in a film that I found so engaging and watchable. It’s no surprise to see Parasite win screenwriting awards, because it is an incredibly well written film.

After winning Best Picture, I expect that a lot of audiences will now go and see the film with very high expectations (which is fair enough considering the film’s success during awards season). It will be interesting to see how audiences react to it, given that Parasite is a film which benefits from its ability to surprise and its power when you expect nothing from it. I think that whether you enjoy or rate Parasite highly will be purely down to personal taste and opinion, which I know sounds like an incredibly stupid and obvious thing to say as surely that can be applied to all films. However, in this case I think that anyone would be hard pressed, or would certainly be reaching, if they spoke negatively about any of the filmmaking elements of Parasite. The film is beautifully shot, well acted, well written, has a great score and is really well made and directed. 

Overall, I think that Parasite is deserving of its Best Picture win and marks an important step forward in diversity and visibility. I have thought of the film often since I watched it and I am looking forward to seeing it again. 

The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️