Stunningly original tale of rich and poor

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2020)

Bong Joon-ho's masterful film Parasite is a wicked and brutal satire about wealth disparity. The film's setup has a poor family, the Kims, infiltrating the lives of a wealthy family, the Parks, by becoming their new employees. Kim Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi) is legitimately a tutor for the Parks' daughter Da-hye (Jung Ziso), but he uses his standing to then usher in his sister Ki-jung (So-dam Park), who poses as an art tutor for the Parks' young son, Da-song (Hyun-jun Jung). The Kim kids then frame the Parks' driver for being a creep, which allows them to bring in their own father, Ki-taek (Kang-ho Sang), for the job. Finally, the family gets rid of the Parks' housekeeper, Moon-gwang (Jeong-eun Lee), by making her seem sickly due to a peach allergy, which paves the way for the Kims' mother, Chung-sook (Hye-jin Jang), to get the gig. The Parks don't learn that the Kims are related, and everything seems to be going fine until they learn that Moon-gwang has been hiding her husband, Geun-se (Myeong-hoon Park), in the Parks' basement.
What makes the twist in "Parasite" so great is that it's as predictable as it is impossible to see coming. The basement in question is featured only twice in the film for less than a minute before its actual role is revealed. But it's a twist that doesn't feel out of question, as we've seen it happen already, just through the eyes of another family.
What makes "Parasite" so perfect is that it understands the rules and power of storytelling. Everything on screen has a specific purpose and a meaning that transforms the story as it unpacks. And it's ironic that, as brilliant as Bong's plan for the story is, the genius of "Parasite" lies in the 10-minute sequence where an entire plan is demolished on sight.