The Have and the Have-not

Rating: Null/10 (11 November 2019)

While set in Korea, the main theme of this movie is as universal as the most basic of human nature, as in "Se7en" (1995). We saw the same sentiments played out in the French Revolution - the Have-not getting even with the Have. In the French Revolution, it played out as revolution and guillotines. Here in "Parasite" it plays out as a multiple con job turned ugly - no decapitation, mind you, but with blood and gore to match.
There are two remarkable things about this movie. The first is the change, abruptly at the mid-point, in tone from farce-like comedy to horror-like thriller. The other thing is the matter-of-course approach at both. Neither the comedy nor the horror is laboured or deliberately crafted. While the plot may sound outlandish, the delivery is so natural as to make it believable. A great deal of credit goes to the splendid cast.
The movie opens with a crispy introduction of a "cheap" family, in every sense of the word. Out of a cramped basement, riding on a lucky break, the four members successively and successfully con their way into the household of a slick, ultra-modern, luxurious mega estate. First, the son becomes the English tutor of a naÃ¯ve girl at puberty. He quickly gets his sister a job as the arts tutor of the girl's little brother. The father and mother, with the sibling's cunning plotting, soon replace the existing housekeeper and chauffer. The couple that employ them are unsuspicious, if not entirely gullible. At this point, nobody can fault you for thinking that the title refers, obviously, to these four.
Then comes the twist at midpoint. When the masters take their kids on a camping trip, the "parasite" family live like royalties, albeit transiently. But it turns out that they are not the only "parasite" because there is one that fits the description even better - living in the bowels. A sudden visit from the discharged housekeeper reveals a secret - she has been hiding her husband in a secret basement unknown to the masters. Then, when the camping trip is cut short by foul weather, all hell breaks loose.
While people may call this movie different things, the crux of the matter is the revelation of the resentment the Have-not harboured towards the Have.