On pure innocence

Rating: 9/10 (1 November 2019)

Set against an urban background bathing in pollution, floods, and the North-South tension as an ever-present echo in people's psyches, Bong Joon-Ho achieves a revelation of pure innocence of simple humans that are puppets of their circumstances. The relentless positivity of each studied family, even the little basement couple's, their love and dedication to each other keeps the audience in all the way through. It's hard to point the finger at any of the characters as the victim or the perpetrator, except the outside forces or the cutouts posted in the hiding place of the Housekeeper's husband. A Korean tradition by now, masterfully applied in the Wailing and The Chaser, there is an effective tonal play coating the baseline with humor which intensifies the suspense.