Parasite is no misnomer. It fully lives up to its title, as this film has taken over my brain and infiltrated my thoughts

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2019)

Parasite
Hollywood Theater
11/09/19
Disclaimer, this review is in two parts. Part One will have zero discussion of plot points and contain zero spoilers. Part Two will delve deeper into the film itself, so read part 2 only if you're cool with mild plot spoilers or have seen the film. With that out of the way:
Part One:
Parasite is no misnomer. It fully lives up to its title, as this film has taken over my brain and infiltrated my thoughts. Parasite has burrowed deep into my cerebrum and has interrupted my normal thinking capacities. I can't go a few minutes without remembering of some image, joke, line, or scene from the film. My self-diagnosis is apt and I fear I may be terminal.
I think the best way to go into this film is to go how I went, totally blind. I've been looking forward to Parasite well before it took the Palme D'Or at Canne this year. Bong Joon-ho and crew have made an absolute masterpiece. A devilishly wild, pitch-black comedy, very much domesticated and between two families. I'll leave it at that and will not dive into the plot or story. Just know this film is in Korean so it is subtitled. It loses nothing in translation but I really wish I knew how to speak Korean so I could better relate to the natural flow of dialogue.
The story is incredibly unique and builds astonishing tension that still has you holding your breath as it unfurls. Parasite pulls you in deeper and deeper, like quicksand, before too long you're in too deep. The editing is so feverish and well put together the 2 hour plus run time soars by. It feels modern, sleek, and gives me great hope for the future of filmmaking and leaves me with an even deeper respect for film made abroad.
It's worth traveling to see, with Joker in every single theater in the country it hurts my little liberal arts heart that Parasite will likely not make its way outside of larger cities. My podunk friends, I apologize, you'll have to wait for a digital or physical release, likely around the end of the year. Lucky for you "Terminator: Dark Fate," and John Cena's new firehouse dog movie "Playing with Fire," will keep you company while you wait.
Part Two: Where we actually talk about stuff, here be potential spoilers, ye' ave' been warnd' (sorry I am still processing The Lighthouse)
Parasite is astonishing on an emotional level. It's a spiderweb of high tension thrills, hidden identities and masterfully curated small details. We meet the Kim family. Dirt poor, living in the basement level of a towering overcrowded building. Their lives are a struggle, phones turned off, internet turned off, it's an eye-opening depiction of poverty in 2019. The entire family (mother, father and two 'twentysomething' kids) is out of legitimate work, to help make some semblance of ends meet the entire family folds frozen pizza boxes for a young entrepreneur.
When a fortuitous opportunity arises for Ki-Woo (their son) to tutor the daughter of the ultra rich, affluent Park family, he finds a way to get each member of his family working for the Parks. It starts slowly, as his sister Ki-Jung acts an art therapist to young Da-Song, his father becomes Mr. Parks driver and his mother takes the place of the previous housekeeper.
Typing that all out is simple enough, but none of these people are what they say they are. And the theatrical scams put in place to get the Kim family into the house are increasingly risky and hilarious. Ki-Woo (played by Woo-sik Choi) failed his college entry exam 4 times, his sister Ki-Jung (played by So-dam Park) is a true con artist, she literally Googled art therapy and ad-libbed everything else, his mom Chung-Sook (played by an awesome Hyae Din Chang), a physically intimidating champion shot putter is absolutely not a high end housekeeper, but most fraudulent of them all is dad, Ki-taek played by regular Bong Joon-ho collaborator Song Kang-Ho. I love this man. I love this actor. I love this character. He's totally pathetic, physically weak, he seemingly has no real skills. What is evident about his character is he truly loves his family. Seeing his face light up and beam with pride when his kids commit these scams is actually heartfelt and touching.
I quickly fell in love with these characters as if they were my own family. You might get the misconception that the Park family might be rich, snobby, rude people but they really aren't. That's something I respect about Parasite, there aren't any clear cut villains or heroes. It's not that kind of story. It's so grounded in reality. Director and writer Bong Joon-ho apparently started getting this idea when he was an actual college tutor, in a luxurious house in which he didn't belong. He started thinking about how funny it would be to have his friends working in this house too.
What really grips me with Parasite is how the movie utilizes senses. It's visually stunning, the architecture of the Park mansion contrasted with the shabby half basement the Kims live in, the way light, darkness and color is used, but maybe the most impressive is how much smell comes into play. You can't smell movies, but somehow Parasite has smells. Smell becomes a large part of the film. It's hard to explain but if you've seen Parasite you'll get what I am talking about.
Bong Joon-ho has created something truly mesmerizing and thrilling. I do not have a single critique of the film. It's absolutely flawless and leaves a taste in your mouth long after viewing. I was absolutely convinced Quentin Tarantino's: "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," was the best film of the year but Parasite may have stolen my vote, or maybe that's exactly what the little bug in my brain wants me to say. See it as soon as possible.