Film Review: Parasite (2019)

Few things have symbolised the ascent of South Korea as the new powerhouse of global popular culture quite like the meteoric rise of its cinema and television industry. This cultural dominance was unequivocally confirmed by Hollywood itself, which bestowed an unprecedented honour upon the 2019 film Parasite by awarding it the Oscar for Best Picture. This historic victory marked the first time a film without English dialogue had secured the top prize, a fact that, combined with its Palme d'Or win at the Cannes Film Festival and a string of other prestigious accolades, cemented the movie’s status. Coupled with its robust box office performance across the globe, Parasite is the most successful Korean film of all time and one of the most commercially viable pictures of the 21st century.

The film, co-written by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin-Won, is a sophisticated adaptation of Bong’s own stage play, which drew direct inspiration from the 1960 Korean classic The Housemaid and the notorious real-life case of France’s Papin sisters in 1933. While the 1960 film established the blueprint for class warfare and domestic betrayal in Korean cinema, Bong brings a contemporary sharpness to the material. The narrative focuses on the Kim family, the nominal protagonist of which is Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho). Ki-taek is the patriarch of a family that, due to high unemployment and a sluggish economy, has been forced to live in a decrepit semi-basement flat in Seoul. They struggle desperately to pay essential bills and make ends meet, no matter how menial the job, constantly ping-ponging between various odd employments.

The family’s fortunes begin to shift when Ki-taek’s son, Ki-woo, known as “Kevin” (Choi Woo-shik), fails to enter university but possesses a sharp intellect. Through a friend, Min (Park Seo-joon), who is about to study abroad, Kevin manages to secure the job of English tutor for Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so), the daughter of wealthy businessman Park Dong-ik (Lee Sun-kyun) and his wife Choi Yeon-gyo (Cho Yeo-jeong). The interview is won through a diploma forged by the family’s resourceful sister, Ki-jung, who uses the alias “Jessica” (Park So-dam). However, the Kims soon notice that the Park household’s young son, Da-song, is eccentric and requires special care. Jessica seizes the opportunity to present herself as an art therapist, a ruse that allows her to manipulate the Parks into firing their chauffeur, Yoon (Park Keun-rok), and subsequently her own father takes the wheel. The elderly housekeeper, Gook Moon-gwang (Lee Jung-eun), is treated with similar tricks and her job is promptly taken by Jessica’s mother, Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin). Suddenly, the entire Kim family is employed. Using the Parks’ absence, they gather in the luxurious, well-designed home to enjoy glimpses of a good life they have always dreamed of, wondering if they can eventually take over the house entirely. But on that very night, as torrential rain begins to pour, the family learns they are not the only ones deceiving their employers, leading to a desperate struggle to maintain their own deception and, ultimately, to violence.

Bong Joon Ho has established himself as a star of international cinema through works like Memories of Murder (2003), which masterfully combined a notorious real-life serial murder mystery with thriller elements and period drama, all laced with strong political overtones. Parasite follows suit, working as a genuine thriller, a black comedy, and a social drama all at once. Bong, known for his left-wing political bent, gave particular emphasis to the social drama aspect. Later, he explained that the title “parasite” refers not only to the Kims who managed to infiltrate the world of the upper-class Park family but also to the Parks themselves. Bong argued that the members of the upper-class elite are, in their way, useless and unable to function without hired help, making them parasites on the service industry. This duality is central to the film’s power. Furthermore, Bong found personal inspiration for the plot in his own life, recalling the time he worked as an English tutor for an upper-class family, a perspective that lends authenticity to the characters' experiences.

Visually, the film is a triumph of production design. The Parks’ home is a masterpiece of architecture, described in the film as the design of a famous eccentric architect. This set was not merely built for decoration; it was constructed with specific camera works and positions in mind, creating a visual language that reflects the characters' entrapment. The great cinematography by Hyong Kyu-pio also played a significant role in making the film more stylish, using light and shadow to delineate the vast chasm between the two worlds.

The acting is equally exceptional, forming a tight ensemble piece that drives the film’s emotional weight. Song Kang-ho, who had previously worked with Bong on Memories of Murder, is one of the most recognisable Korean actors today, and he provides immense gravitas to the role of Kim Ki-taek. Lee Sun-kyun works well as the counterpart of the Kim family, portraying the head of the wealthy household as seemingly well-meaning, but ultimately clueless and disconnected from reality. His role takes on an even more moving resonance in hindsight, considering the actor tragically met his end a few years after the film’s premiere.

Bong’s script is very clever in how it leads the plot, alternating between social observation and dark comedy before the major twist turns the film into a Jacobean tragedy. The tone shifts violently, mirroring the characters' descent into chaos. This Jacobean tragedy, which deals with familial betrayal and fatalism, gets another ironic epilogue through another twist, ensuring the audience is left with a lingering sense of unease.

However, what doesn’t work in the film—and what deprives it of perfection—is the music by Jung Jae-il, the composer famous for his work on Squid Game. While the score is functional, it often feels derivative and overly aggressive. It often strays too far into melodrama, trying too hard to manipulate the audience's emotions in ways that clash with the film's subtler, more grounded visual storytelling. It lacks the subtlety of the rest of the film, at times feeling like an intrusion rather than a complement.

The film’s rare success—being only the third film to win both the Palme d'Or and the Oscar—has had a tangible impact on its box office, boosting its earnings both domestically and internationally. This fame and popularity have even led to location sightseeing tours in Seoul, allowing fans to walk the streets where the Kim family lived and worked.

In the end, Parasite is a very good film that truly earned a lot of its praise and success. It is a masterclass in genre blending and social commentary. However, its biggest importance lies in its ability to point out the eternal struggle between the Haves and the Have-Nots. This theme is often ignored in today's tribalistic social media bubbles and identity politics, yet it is more relevant than ever. In the post-COVID world, where economic issues and social divisions have become even more prevalent, Parasite stands as a stark, brutal, and necessary reminder of the fragility of the social order.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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