Parasite (2019)

Rating: 8/10 (15 October 2019)

There is a real insurmountable hype surrounding Bong Joon-ho's latest film. Playing only in one theater in NYC and it was sold out all weekend. Luckily, I was able to go see an early showing of this film on my day off. The hype is real. I enjoyed this film and was glued to the screen for the entire duration of the film. Its, funny, smart, violent, and socially timely. Whatever, you do please go see Parasite as it is going to be one of the best films of the year and is one of my favorites already.
The film is about a poor family who live in a shabby basement and need money and struggle to survive. An opportunity comes for the son of the family as he forges documents and gets a job as a private tutor for a very wealthy family. Soon the rest of his family begin setting up situations where each of them get hired for the family. The family keep their identities hidden but soon come across dark situations and they must go to great lengths to protect their secret and their new found wealth.
Bong Jonon-ho's films are usually very well shot and there is no difference here. Everything is so pristine and each small detail tells a story. The script for this film is a mix of comedy and thriller and it works so well. The leading family in this film are desperate and in poverty so you want to identity with them but then you realize that this family do some terrible stuff for their own greed, even if it means hurting innocent people.
The film goes into the depths of exploring class differences and the gap between the wealthy and poor. It doesn't matter the country, this is just ever present everywhere. Its underlying and subtle at first but the theme resonates, especially through the patriarch of the family, portrayed by Song Kang-ho. I'm trying to find something to criticize about the film but am struggling to find things I didn't like. It is a fairly long film but it zooms by because of how entertaining it truly is.
This is of course the final season of the year and Oscar season is in full swing. Parasite should really be up there with a Best Picture nomination and I'd say is a strong contender for being the best film of the year. Its so mesmerizing in all regards. I might need to check out more South Korean films as I greatly appreciated Burning last year. I'm gonna reiterate, go and see this film.
8.5/10