Parasite

Rating: 9/10 (14 February 2020)

I heard about this South Korean a few months before its release, the title itself sounded interesting to me, but I also knew it was predicted to do very well during Awards Season, in fact, it went on make history at the Academy Awards, from Oscar winning, and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated director Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Snowpiercer). Basically, the Kim family: father Ki-taek (The Host's Song Kang-ho), mother Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin), daughter Ki-jeong (Park So-dam) and son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), live in a small semi-basement apartment, have low-paying temporary jobs, and struggle to get by. Ki-woo's friend Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon), a university student, gives the family a scholar's rock, which is meant to bring material wealth to whoever possesses it. Min-hyuk is leaving to study abroad, before leaving he suggests to Ki-woo he should take over his job as an English tutor to the wealthy Park family's daughter, Da-hye (Ji-so Jung). Ki-woo poses as a university student and is hired by the Parks; Mrs. Park (Cho Yeo-jeong) decides to call him Kevin. Subsequently, the Kim family begins to infiltrate the Park family home by recommending each other's services, posing as unrelated but sophisticated skilled workers. Ki-woo tutors and begins a romance with Da-hye. Ki-jeong poses as "Jessica", an art therapist for restless young son Da-song (Jung Hyeon-jun). Ki-jeong frames Mr. Park's chauffeur Yoon (Park Geun-rok) for having sex in his car, and suggests her "uncle" for the job, so Ki-taek, a former valet, is hired. Finally, the Parks' housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang (Lee Jung-eun) has a severe allergy to peaches, the Kims exploit this and convince Mrs. Park that she has tuberculosis, and Chung-sook takes over. When the Parks leave to go on a camping trip, the Kim family take advantage, living in the empty luxurious mansion. The former housekeeper unexpectedly returns, claiming left something in the basement. The Kims are shocked as she reveals a hidden entrance to an underground bunker, created by the famous architect and previous owner of the mansion. Moon-gwang's husband, Geun-sae (Park Myung-hoon), has been secretly living underneath the home, to hide from loan sharks, for the last four years. After realising the truth about the Kim family, Moon-gwang threatens to tell the Parks their secret if they do not, in turn, keep hers. A brawl breaks out among Moon-gwang, Geun-sae, and the Kims. They are interrupted when Mrs. Park calls, they are returning home early, the trip has been cancelled due to a rainstorm. Geun-sae is dragged back down below, while Moon-gwang is fatally wounded when pushed down the stairs. The two are trapped in the bunker, while the Kim family scramble to clean up their mess. After Chung-sook serves her dinner, Mrs. Park tells about how Da-song had a traumatic experience years ago when he saw a "ghost", Geun-sae, emerging from the basement. The remaining Kims hide underneath the sofa in the living room, Mr. Park complains to his wife about a smell, which is Ki-taek. The Kims, after some failed attempts and near misses, eventually manage to escape the Parks' house. Returning to their apartment, they are devastated to find it completely flooded due to the storm and are forced to sleep in a gymnasium with other people made homeless. The next day, Mrs. Park decides to host a party for Da-song's birthday. She invites Ki-jeong and Ki-woo, while Ki-taek and Chung-sook are required to be employees. During the party, Ki-woo heads down to the bunker with the scholar's rock intending to kill Geun-sae. After accidentally dropping the rock down the stairs, Geun-sae attacks him, bludgeoning him with the rock and escaping. Seeking revenge for the death of Moon-gwang, Geun-sae stabs Ki-jeong with a kitchen knife in front of the horrified guests. Da-song suffers a trauma-induced seizure upon seeing Geun-sae, and a struggle breaks out, until Chung-sook kills Geun-sae with a skewer. Ki-taek tries to help Ki-jeong, but Mr. Park orders him to drive Da-song to the hospital. In the chaos, Ki-taek takes the kitchen knife and fatally stabs Mr. Park before fleeing the scene. Weeks later, Ki-woo has survived the attack and wakes up from his coma following surgery. He and Chung-sook are convicted of fraud and put on probation, Ki-jeong is revealed to have died from her injury, and Ki-taek has vanished and is wanted for Mr. Park's murder. Geun-sae's motives for the attack are a mystery to the public. The Park family home has been sold to German family, but Ki-woo continues to scope it out. He notices the flickering light in the house and recognises it as a message in Morse code. It is a message from Ki-taek, who is now living in the bunker, which he decodes. Still living in the semi-basement apartment, Ki-woo responds to his father, vowing to one day earn enough money to buy the house, free his father, and the family will be reunited. The film's title is a double meaning, it can refer to the poor family manipulating their way into the lives of the rich family, or the rich family themselves in terms of labour, leeching off others to do to the work, it could also refer to the sinister character beneath the house. This film works well as a satirical and intricate examination of class conflict, and as a film of two halves. The sneaky set-up is a savage social commentary with an impoverished family conning their way up, and then it completely shifts gear with a darker tone and surprising moments that will get under the skin. It is the first film from South Korea to gain Oscar nominations, it became the first foreign language film in history to win the top prize at the Academy Awards (beating big contender 1917 from Sam Mendes), and the first to win Best Picture and the foreign language category together. At a time where the lack of diversity is debated, this film will hopefully pave the way for changes, it is a fantastic dark comedy thriller. It won the Oscar for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Original Screenplay for Bong Joon-ho and Jin Won Han, and Best International Feature Film (formerly Best Foreign Language Film), and it was nominated for Best Production Design, and Best Film Editing, it won the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, and Best Original Screenplay, and it was nominated for Best Film, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language, and it was nominated for Best Screenplay. Very good!