The Oscars have passed and as always there is going to be some controversy over the winner of ‘best picture’. Parasite was an unexpected surprise due to it’s South Korean background and winning over larger, bigger budget American and British movies. It’s not the first time that the Oscars have chosen something more artistic and alternative to the typical fodder but stands out in this culturally appropriate world. I was late to the excitement around the film myself, this was mainly due to the lack of attention local cinemas would give to it before all the Oscar buzz. I mainly stick to movies within the UK and America so my perspective may feel irrelevant to some, that is not to say that I had a negative outlook. I was able to go in with a fresh mind without any expectations, the title alone invoked a ‘horror’ feeling but I was at least aware that the film was not that. If you can ignore the overly-sung praises of the film’s reputation for a moment, here are my views on Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite.
The story is focused on a poverty-stricken family living in the slums of South Korea. The Kim family comprises of the father, Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song), the mother, Chung-sook (Hye-jin Jang), the son, Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi), and the daughter, Ki-jung (So-dam Park). Ki-woo is are main star as he is used as the catalyst for the family’s rise to riches. Ki-woo is approached by his cousin to take a position as a fake English teacher for a rich family’s daughter and Ki-woo accepts, he sees this as a chance to gain his family extra jobs, pretending to be unrelated workers. Ki-woo becomes romantically involved with the daughter and tricks the gullible husband and wife into hiring Ki-jung as a fake art teacher for their hyperactive son, Ki-taek as the personal driver, jeopardizing the original driver’s career, and Chung-sook as the new maid, also jeopardizing the previous worker. Things have gone well for the parasitic family as they enjoy their plan coming to fruition but things take a much darker turn when the original maid returns to collect something she left behind, something very unexpected…
The film does a great job at making all four members of the family incredibly three-dimensional and even relatable despite their sinister behavior. Ki-woo is still young and acts as a hopeless romantic that uses his English skills to become closer to the rich family’s daughter, he primarily wants his family to thrive, however, and his relationship with his father is a clear driving force, especially in the final scenes of the film. Ki-jumg is a snarky artist with enough intelligence to create forged documents and make false statements about the skill, or lack-there-of, of the artistic young boy and lacks any sympathy for the unsuspecting family their conning, contrary to the other family members. Ki-taek is sometimes seen as the voice of reason and often becomes the center of the film’s dark sense of humor, he rehearses his lies and carefully plans out his actions, but he’s also sensitive to the comments made about his stench that matches something like radishes. Chung-sook is similar to her daughter but also does fit the caring mother-like figure she has to play, she has genuine care for the previous maid and even hopes she has continued to get work. The family certainly is framed as the titular ‘parasite’ but all have very likable quirks.
The message behind this film is the standard ‘rich vs. poor’ narrative that has been done countless times but this film spins it in the opposite direction to how these films typically play out. The protagonists are pretty unlikable but you do feel a sense of sympathy for their living situation. The family has clearly lived in poverty for a long time and have lost their sense of morality, purposely willing to screw hard working people out of a job. The rich family are very likable, albeit gullible. Movies like this will almost always paint the rich in a bad light but they’re always very understanding and kind to the protagonists. They never catch on to the fact that their all related and simply believe in them from the kindness of their own hearts. The rich parents are also very passionate about raising their kids and giving them their best lives, even encouraging their strange son in acting out his fantasies. It’s not unheard of to push this narrative in the opposite direction but it’s so uncommon that it becomes a welcome change.
The film’s major hurdle is the language barrier and the style of characterization that may not resonate on western audiences, this isn’t really a fault as the film was made in Korea with Korean people in mind but it’s interesting to see how well the film translates to our demographic. Certain elements of this film can come across as slightly questionable to a western audience such as the layouts of houses and the behavior of the people may leave you questioning how much is genuine or authentic. The humor is the biggest contrast, it mostly lands but humor is always something that doesn’t always translate across the pond. The movie is a dark comedy and it’s jokes are focused on the poor rather than the wealthy, it’s very different from the western traditions. The jokes can sometimes feel uncomfortable or dialogue can feel slightly stilted due to this language barrier, the running joke about Mr. Kim smelling like radishes is very much an eastern favored style of humor and didn’t always feel real, especially at the final punchline of said joke. This isn’t a major issue but the jokes can sometimes feel poorly paced or can go on for too long, I am fully aware that this is more an issue from translation rather than poor directing.
Parasite certainly lives up to it’s reputation, it’s a great blend of dark humor mixed with shocking revelations and horrifying drama. It knows when to make the audience feel uncomfortable while also providing many bright and positive moments. The main characters are surprisingly likable and that’s mainly due to the fantastic writing and directing. It had an air similar to a film by the Coen Brothers but with a much more depressing end note that isn’t really complimented by any humor. Bong Joon Ho has had a mixture of films made within his home country and some American made, he’s still an up-and-coming director so he’s still yet to fully establish a specific style but I look forward to his future movies. I definitely felt this film deserved it’s Oscar win and it’s always encouraging to see Hollywood acknowledge the cinema that exists outside of their glittery city. Check it out.
Written review by C. Johnson.