It's close to impossible to truly encapsulate the sheer perfection that Bong Joon-ho has gifted to the world of cinema. Difficult to compartmentalize into any one genre but often carrying the best parts of all of them, Parasite is an elusive beast of a film that escapes words. Thanks in large part to a committed cast and Joon-ho's mastery of the craft, Parasite deserves a rapture of applause for its engrossing depiction of life.
The Cast[]
A deceptively subdued and quiet cast, the acting excellence of Parasite will penetrate into the minds of viewers with total ease. Every member of the ensemble is memorable and breathtaking in their own reserved but wholely fleshed out and talented ways. In more limited roles, Lee Sun-kyun is magnetically mysterious in the role of one family's matriarch, while Cho Yeo-jeong is hysterically inept as a socialite mother. Jung Ji-so and Jung Hyeon-jun round out the Park family as the two children, creating an entitled but endearing group of characters for the Kim family to bounce off of.
Ably handling his role as the film's arguable lead, Choi Woo-shik brings intelligence and confidence to a role that requires both facets to be hidden just beneath the surface. Meanwhile, Park So-dam gets some of the best laughs of the film with her cocky, devil-may-care attitude that tiptoes the line of arrogance and deserved confidence. Chang Hyae-jin brings a nurturing wisdom to a role of maternity, while the South Korean veteran Song Kang-Ho is equal parts hilarious, wise, and slightly dangerous as he adds yet another wonderfully diverse performance to his career.
It's very difficult to describe the wonder of the ensemble in Parasite, due in large part to the sheer amount of layers that each character has with them. Despite a large ensemble, everyone easily juggles screentime and chemistry as the dynamics constanly shift and relationships evolve. The film is truly the work of a cast, where no one performer could ever try to take the spotlight without dismaying the others. Fortunately, that equilibrium is perfectly achieved by this group of actors. Score: 5 out of 5
The Story[]
Written by the film's director Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won, Parasite is an endlessly fascinating story where there is something for any viewer to enjoy. The most common praise is that it's just hilarious, with every character bringing their own brand of comedy and allowing each joke to breathe plentily. It's hard to imagine a film where biting satire, cruel sarcasm, bathroom humor, and crude innuendo could be combined in equal measures with success, but Joon-ho and Jin-won do just that with their balancing act.
Parasite is the tale of the Kim family, a recently unemployed family that struggles to make ends meet with menial side jobs. The family's fortune changes when the son is employed as the tutor of the wealthy Park family's daughter. As Ki-Woo learns more about the Parks, the two families become intertwined with increasing frequency.
Despite the praise for the humor earlier, the film's most powerful element of the screenplay is its downright brilliant bending of genre. Talking about Parasite is exceptionally difficult due to the undercurrent of tension that pervades the film. Mystery and suspense are both defly wielded to keep audiences on their toes, allowing the film to breeze by but never becoming settled either.
Score: 5 out of 5
The Direction[]
An undisputed master of Korean cinema that has become ingrained in American film culture, Bong Joon-ho deserves to be placed into the ranks of the best directors of the era with Parasite as his crowning achievement. Joon-ho balances the humor, the heart, the horror, and the talent of the film with incredible ease, moving his camera and his actors into the flow of the story with total control. In a career where he has often pushed himself to try something new, the most refreshing thing about Parasite is how delectably restrained Joon-ho is while also making the film explode with passion.
Shot with grace and expertise by Hong Kyung-pyo, Joon-ho moves with masterful precision throughout the runtime of Parasite. Every shot is not just purposeful but beautiful as well, capturing the art in something as kinetic as a rainstorm or the static simplicity of a laundrey line. These efforst are further aided by editor Yang Jin-mo, who never needs to slow the film down due to Joon-ho's ability to linger in just the right ways.
The production design by Lee Ha-jun is a particularly beautiful crafts design, with the sharp contrast between the cluttered Kim household and the magnificently spartan Parks house accenting the satire of the film. The score composed by Jung Jae-il is another key factor of the film, who's score bolsters the ebb and flow of the rising film's stakes. Joon-ho is the undisputed master of Parasite, but that's easy to accomplish when one works with a crew as talented as the one he has.
Score: 5 out of 5
Final Verdict[]
Typical criticism cannot be applied to Parasite. It is a bountiful film, offering its gift to every audience member and allowing them to find something receive with gusto. Bong Joon-ho has prepared a full meal for the cinematic audiences of the world, where every second spent with him, his cast, and his crew is like a cherished memory and each morsel is brimming with satisfaction. Equal parts hilarious and heartwarming to at times terrifying and decisively cruel in its targetting, Parasite is the cure for those that bemoan any sickness in the modern film industry.
Final Score: 100%
Potential Ballot Spots:
- Best Picture
- Best Director - Bong Joon-ho
- Best Supporting Actor - Song Kang-ho
- Best Supporting Actress - Lee Jung-eun
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Cast Ensemble
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
- Best Production Design
- Best Original Score