A perfectly cromulent film

Rating: 8/10 (27 November 2019)

The obvious question, which might not have an obvious answer, is who or what is or are the parasites in Parasite? Maybe it is easier to determine who or what is or are the hosts? The first hour plays as though Adam Sandler had directed a Korean version of Upstairs, Downstairs, a tale about the poor serving, or parasitically suckling upon, the rich, separated vertically so those on high do not, or even cannot, observe the filth of the lower classes as they struggle to acquire the most basic necessities, such as a good and free wi-fi signal.
The second hour plays as though Sam Peckinpah had directed a Korean version of Upstairs, Downstairs, a tale about desperate times and desperate measures, uncertainty about belonging, and a lesson about the fleetingness of a good situation. The mood of Parasite runs somewhat tangentially to that of A Serious Man, a slightly anarcho-nihilistic tone that despite anyone's good or bad intentions, or even lack of intent entirely, there is a dark hole tugging at the back of our brains whispering sweet somethings of impending, unavoidable, and utterly passionless doom.
Given this background, one might argue that there is no message, no meaning to a movie like Parasite. At the least, it is an investigation into whether a host or parasite can change its behavior for the better or for the worse.