All unemployed, Ki-taek’s family take a peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
Bong Joon-ho is one of the greatest filmmakers in the world. He’s made a plethora of original meaningful stories ranging from a true-crime murder mystery (“Memories of Murder”) to a family-centric creature feature (“The Host”), and most recently, a couple of dystopian sci-fi tales (“Snowpiercer,” “Okja”). His films have always acknowledged class division but none have possessed the clever skewering commentary exhibited in “Parasite.” It’s a tale of the rich and poor and the inescapable mutating effects of money.
The impoverished Kim family lives in squalor, their building in limbo, almost half-sunken into a dirty alley. They scrape by with odd jobs like folding hundreds of pizza boxes for a company (albeit not up to the company’s standards). They steal Wi-Fi from their unsuspecting neighbors and the son Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) convinces the pizza company into hiring them part-time. Kim Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song), the family’s father’s questionable ingenuity is shown when he leaves their windows open taking advantage of the exterminators fumigating their neighborhood.
Ki-woo inherits a position tutoring English to Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so) the daughter of the wealthy Park family. He meets the mother Yeon-kyo (Cho Yeo-jeong), and the young son Park Da-song (Jung Hyun-joon). The mother is conservative and very restless, while her successful tech husband Dong-ik (Lee Sun-kyun) is at work for long hours of the day. Da-song is rambunctious yet interested in painting and Ki-Wook immediately sees an opening to bring his artistically talented sister Kim Ki-jung (Park So-dam) along for art lessons. Ki-jung is incredibly astute and asserts herself immediately in the home.
The devoted housekeeper, Gook Moon-gwang (in an excellent turn by Lee Jung-eun) has been with the marvelous home since its construction. She originally worked for the home’s architect and the prior homeowners before the Park family moved in. Bong and the production design team make perfect use of the unique structure. The house is more like a citadel and it’s the most memorable property I have seen since “Ex Machina.” The Kim clan devise many innovative schemes, one involving the aforementioned housekeeper, and before the Park family knows it, the Kim family has moved in as their new employees. This is one of the most unpredictable films I’ve ever seen and I can’t wait to watch it again. As with every Bong Joon-ho story, it’s a humane tale and he’s not overtly cruel to his characters. He recognizes that the families aren’t to be blamed for the late-capitalist hellscape they all collectively have been handed.
Every performance is fantastic but Kang-ho Song, a frequent collaborator of the director, steals the show whenever he’s onscreen. Bong’s stellar camerawork and creeping zoom-ins slowly reveal characters’ intentions while displaying a master craftsman at the top of his game. Although the visuals aren’t the only thing to rave about, Jaeil Jung’s immaculate symphonic composition is ideal for the setting and the unforeseen events that ensue. Deservedly, “Parasite” became the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Like its title, this is truly a film that will get inside your head and remain there.
“Parasite” premiered at the 28th Philadelphia Film Festival
