Parasite Review
It was arguably the biggest shocks during this year’s award season. “The Oscar for Best Picture goes to… Parasite!”. Director, Bong Joon-Ho walked up to the stage looking surprised himself, while also showcasing a real sense of pride about what he and his team have created. It is — after all — the first film not in the English language to win the award.
The whole movie (bar a couple of lines), is in South Korean, so unless you speak South Korean, you’re going to be watching it with subtitles — something many viewers don’t have the patience for. But the beauty of this story-telling experience is that after just a few minutes of watching, you forgot you’re even reading subtitles.
The film looks at the hardships and jealousy that come with living a lower-class life, as well as the privilege and complexities of living a higher-class life. The lack of natural light, and therefore over-use of indoor lighting in the small semi-basement compares to the bright mansion that’s full of natural light from ceiling-to-floor windows.
This isn’t your typical drama whereby the rich and poor families learns from one another. As a viewer, we don’t learn the lesson that money can’t buy you happiness. Nor do we learn the lesson that having our health and loved ones around us should be our only priority. Instead, the film is a completely unique take on class war. It’s full of surprises in almost every scene. Nothing is predictable, and every twist comes completely out-of-the blue. Having said that, you’re not only intrigued to see the next twist, you’re also intrigued to find out how the story ends — which characters end up happy, and which characters don’t.
Although the story — with its’ multiple twists and turns — is endearing and strong by itself, the acting takes the whole movie to another level. Song Kang-ho plays Kim Ki-taek, the father of the lower-class Kim family. His character is visibly effected the most by his want for a better life, and the envy he shows towards the rich Park family. Jang Hye-jin plays his wife, Park Chung-sook, and her strong performance alongside Kang-ho’s is another to be commended — taking a character away from one we feel pity for, and towards something so much more confusing.
However, the stars of the film are the younger members of this family. Kim Ki-woo (played by Choi Woo-shik) and Kim Ki-jung (played by Park So-dam) are the brother and sister of the Kim family. Their plotting and scheming adds some comedic relief at times when it’s needed, but both characters are engaging enough that the depth in their relationship, and their own story-lines is what really keeps you invested.
This film may have made history with its’ Academy Award, but it was wholly deserving of it. A truly new, unique and different cinema experience.
Hannah Parker
