Parasite (Spoiler Free)

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2020)

Last night was one of the most thrilling experiences I have had watching a film..
I attended a small arthouse theatre close to 15 minutes from my house. I finally saw a movie I had been yearning for some time. I am a little late to the party, in regards to my timing of this film. But I am ecstatic I got to view it in a theatre. I wanted to go in with no expectations, because typically I am let down. I have a tendency nitpick as a viewer, which can make some movies difficult to enjoy. I was aware that it had won best foreign film at the Golden Globes, and had received much critical acclaim. I cannot recall seeing another Bong Joon Ho film, except possibly The Host (in which case, it was so long ago- I do not remember). Either way, I was excited to see a movie that looked like a family drama, with perhaps some suspenseful elements.
As I sat in this small cleanly theatre, I noticed the majority of people were of Asian descent, and unless my eyes betrayed me, mostly Korean. I attend movies frequently and it was nice to see a very diverse crowd. As the lights dimmed and people munched on their popcorn, and drank their coke's; I sat there, by myself- as the only one in my row. Ready to have a fun experience, with what's been regarded as one of the best of the year.
The first portion of the movie, centers around an engaging Korean family who live in a lower-class part of the city looking for jobs. They live in a home that is underground, but can still see the street through one of the windows. The family consists of a young adolescent brother and sister as well as their middle-aged parents. The movie begins with raucous laughs and instantly makes you engaged with these characters. The first 30 mins is truly a full-blown comedy and my theatre could not stop laughing. In its own right it is a very effective comedy, that had hints of possible dread ahead. The hints at suspense begin when another family is brought into the story. We see how both of these families become entangled in each other's lives, and how the threads are tied together. The pace was slower in the early stages, but still immensely entertaining.
Then there is a tonal flip. A character re-enters the story and you instantly feel tight. At this point you could not really tell where the story was headed, so I stayed in peak curiosity. Then comes a moment when dread absolutely swept over me and I felt as if the story was about to turn into a full-blown horror movie. I sat there in near dread, caught in my own amazement of what I was watching. The tension then softened a bit, but there was still an underlay of tightness. The whole tone of the movie had changed by this point, and you can feel the stress the characters are going through. As well as the fact that the viewer knows more than some of the characters on screen, so there are moments when you want to shout at the screen- DON'T LOOK THERE! Within a few minutes though, you are immersed in the new direction the story has gone in and what's happening. It was fun to follow the story's new direction, with a good level of suspense at this point. You can feel everything is on the brink of destruction, but its still being held together by a thread. Then the story levels off a little bit, heading an even different direction. In this sequence the story is setting up a finale, that will leave devastation. Once we get started in the third act, my jaw just about hit the floor and I was stunned. The final 20 minutes of this people was honestly breathtaking. The music, visuals, acting and the tone of the story hits you like a ton of bricks. By the time the final credits rolled, I sat there in utter amazement. It was the first time I left a theatre feeling utter euphoria. I was absolutely ecstatic with what I had just seen.
Parasite is a film that brings together a plethora of genres that all coalesce effectively. There is an underlying theme of classism and how the social construct of class impacts the psyche of the characters. But this is truly a story that has many layers, and the shifting tones create an atmosphere that is both eerily terrifying as well as holistically captivating.
Grade: A+