A quirky family comedy that transgresses into a vicious social satire on Korean class division

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2019)

I just this for the second time in cinemas and I loved it just as much as the first time. I cannot describe how thankful I am that this gem has been given a wide release in Australia before most countries, which is a rare occurrence, especially with foreign films.
The first time I saw this, I was absolutely enthralled by it because of the unique story being presented. I found it to be witty yet subversive, and I had no idea where it was headed. Bong-Joon Ho is a director who's work that I've seen at this point is something I greatly appreciate. He always manages to pull genuinely funny comedy out of his scenes that somehow feels natural rather than jarring. It doesn't diminish from the story's overall seriousness, nor does it ditract from the dramatic performances of the cast, especially Song Kang-Ho, who I have not seen give a performance that was not great yet.
Where the story did head completely caught me off guard, but in a good way. It is one of the best uses of plot escalation I have seen in a long time, to the point where the film completely changes genres halfway through and it's astounding because it works so well. The stylistic features change with the tone shift as well, as the score becomes more tense and dramatic, and the camera movement becomes more sweeping and eratic. It's all so perfectly complementary to what's escalating on screen. The cinematography is so good that any shot could be used as the poster, and it would make good one at that.
The second time I saw this I payed extra attention to any hints or details that are presented which set up the escalation to come, and it was a truly rewarding experience. I think there's still things I won't pick up until my third or fourth viewing.
I absolutely adore this film, and I think everyone should check it out. I would even recommend it to those who confess to not liking foreign films because they have to go through the gruelling task of actually having to read what they're watching.
This is my favourite of 2019 so far, and I would be very surprised if that changed from now.