Thank you, Bong Joon-ho for this tour de force masterpiece!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (9 November 2019)

PARASITE
Directed by Bong Joon-Ho
How often does one get the opportunity to see a film, on the silver screen, which leaves you enriched by the immaculate craft of the filmmaker's original voice and style of storytelling? How often does a movie leave you inspired to just grab a stack of paper and a pen, and begin writing your very own story? Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite is definitely one of those movies which left me moved and inspired. It's one of those movies which beautifully broadened my view towards the world. This film tackles social issues in a visually visceral and cinematic manner; it doesn't rely on preachy monologues and melodramatic action to convey its underlying themes of class discrimination, greed, family, and morality. Bong Joon-Ho and his writer, Han Jin-won, craft the screenplay in a subtle style in order to convey the social issues that are revolving around the film.
Parasite tells the story of the Kim family, which is made of four individuals: a father, a mother, a teenage boy, and a teenage girl. This family takes interest in the Park family, who are incredibly rich and wealthy, when the teenage boy, played exceptionally by Choi Woo-shik, takes over his friend's job as an English tutor for the daughter of the Park family, who is a sophomore in high school. The film proceeds with the Kim family obtaining the various jobs around the house of the Park family, who are unaware of this. From there one, Bong Joon-Ho and his writer, Han Jin-won, tell a beautiful story of family, class discrimination, empathy, and morality in a satirical and dark manner.
Parasite embodies a countless number of flawless moments of storytelling, which can leave one entertained, thrilled, and moved. Bong Joon-Ho utilizes visual storytelling to not only heighten the thrills, but using minute details to depict the discriminations that are made between the rich and the poor. There are two scenes which depict the way the rich and the poor perceive heavy rainfalls. The Park family are enamored by the sight and scenery of the rain from their window. Whereas the Kim family, struggle to grab their personal belongings due to their basement apartment being flooded by the rainfall. Yang Jin-mo's editing immerses the viewer in these visually engaging scenes. There is one moment where she uses the shot of the overflowing water transitioning to a bird-eye shot of the Kim family and their neighbors struggling to take the water out of their homes by using buckets. This is what makes Parasite shine as this visual experience, where we as an audience, understand both sides of the coin. The audience is able to grasp a sense of the struggles that the poor have to face, and this is done with incredible cinematography by Hong Kyung-pyo.
The performances of Parasite are incredible. Each actor provides a nuanced and authentic performance; they faithfully portray the psychology of their characters. Another incredibly refreshing aspect of this film was how Bong Joon-ho and his writer, Han Jin-won, portray the Park family. They aren't portrayed as stingy rich people, they are kind, caring, and naïve. They are naïve to the point where they are baffled by the smell of a poor individual. Bong Joon-ho authentically depicts the humanity of both the wealthy and impoverished characters of the film. The way the characters are crafted and portrayed is what allows the film to augment Bong Joon-ho's original voice as a storyteller.
Parasite is not only the best film I have seen this year; it is the best film I have seen this decade. Thank you, Bong Joon-ho for crafting a tour de force of a film. Thank you for reassuring me, as an aspiring storyteller, that stories build bridges of unity. Thank you of inspiring me to write a story that is original and deeply resonates with my memory and my heart. As the great Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa once said, "If you genuinely want to make movies, start writing screenplays. Take a lot of paper and a pen, and just write, write, and write." Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece, Parasite, inspired me to go home and take a lot of paper and a pen, and just write the stories I want to tell. Thank you, Bong Joon-ho for shrewdly crafting a masterpiece that beautifully depicts the themes of class discrimination and filiality.