The South Korean film, Parasite, is many things and I’m pleased to report that it succeeds splendidly at everything it attempts to accomplish during its running time. It’s a comedy, a thriller and, most importantly I guess, a study of the marked contrast between the haves and the have-nots in this current age in which we live. This is a film addressing topical issues that the more talked about endeavor, Joker, only wishes it could be had it been made with more skill.
Park So Dam and Choi Woo Shik in Parasite.
The plot concerns the contrasts between the Kim and Park families. The Kim family live in economically depressed conditions where getting by is a day to day struggle and they make ends meet by folding pizza boxes. The Park family, on the other hand, has lots of disposable income and plenty of what is referred to as ‘rich people problems.’
The Kims’ son, Ki Woo, worms his way into the lives of the Park family by posing as a tutor for their daughter. Once inside he concocts a scheme that will result in the rest of his family finding gainful employment in service to the family. To say anything more would be doing the film a disservice.
Writer/director Bong Joon-ho has skillfully put together a terrific cinematic experience. It’s a film that keeps on giving right up until its final frame and constantly surprises the viewer in ways that delighted me. It should come as no surprise then that it’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in a movie theater this calendar year.
Parasite is currently showing in Charlotte theaters.
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