“Parasite” is the most hilarious, intense, and politically diverse movie of the year.
After “Mother” and “Snowpiercer,” Korean director Bong Joon-ho presents another class-consciousness magnum opus, the 2019 Palme d’Or Cannes winner.
In “Parasite,” Joon-ho shows no mercy in picking out the differences between the rich and poor. Joon-Ho’s humanistic approach is undeniable, maintaining a high level of respect for his characters regardless of their economic status or true intentions – since none of them are genuinely evil by nature or utterly uncorrupted by the system.
The South Korean narrative reaches epic proportions, resembling an authentic Greek tragedy through its universal themes of class struggle and life’s irony.
The symbolism in this film has a truthful meaning in relation to their social status. For a wealthy family, the rain represents a natural way of cleansing and abundance. For the poor, it is a catastrophic chain of events that can wipe them off the face of the earth – it is almost like fumigating “parasites.”
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| Parasite, still courtesy of Neon |
The incredible journey of trickery and scams begins with Kim Ki-woo, performed by the young and talented actor Woo-sik Choi (“Okja,” “Set Me Free”). The sneaky college dropout takes the opportunity to work as an English tutor at the Park’s residence.
As is often the case, poor people’s ambition knows no bounds. It is similar to that of wealthy individuals; they can’t stop working because they crave more wealth.
Ki-woo also sees an opportunity to have his sister, Kim Ki-Jung (So-dam Park), tutor a disobedient preschooler who is interested in surreal self-portrait painting and American Indian wildness.
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| Parasite French poster. Cannes 2019. |
Kim’s family’s determination to take over the house leads to another critical park staff member being fired.
The patriarch of the Kims, Ki-taek, is played exceptionally well by the renowned actor Kang-ho Song (“A Taxi Driver,” “Thirst,” “The Host”). He enters the house as the chauffeur. Aware of not crossing the line, he avoids body odor associated with poor people, which causes wealthy families’ aversion.
In the real world, the rich and poor can’t get that close because of odor. Smell reveals social status, job type, food quality, and behavior. In South Korea, people respond to smells right away. We can’t talk about scent in public, but it is an inherent characteristic of all human beings.
The idea for making “Parasite” emerged in 2013, during the post-production of “Snowpiercer.” While Joon-Ho was working as a college tutor, he met a young, impoverished student employed in a wealthy family’s home. The director followed the student upstairs, and he couldn’t believe how proud the young man was to be working in someone else’s house. This anecdote, along with other personal experiences, inspired him to write his remarkable piece.
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| Bong Joon-Ho, director of Parasite. Photo José A. Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
The Oscar-hopeful director admits with good humor. He is not a “control freak” but likes to control everything. During pre-production, he did the entire storyboard, which was a big help for this linear story.
Like many wealthy South Korean families, the Park’s house has a bunker in its basement in case of an atomic attack by the North Korean leader “Little Rocket Man,” Kim Jong-un. By the way, the jokes about the North Commander are part of the hilarious political satire.
The performances in “Parasite” are exquisite and natural. The entire cast shines on screen, delivering long-lasting delight.
Funny but true, Kim’s mother quotes: “It’s such a luxury to be kind. If I were rich, I would be kind.” The director says it’s not morally correct, but it’s straightforward.
The art department’s work is monumental; they built the interiors and some of the streets within the studio. That includes well-controlled epic rain flooding. The shooting took 74 days, three times the average film schedule of 24 days.
During the Q&A after a screening in West Los Angeles, the director candidly discussed his film. He said, “In most cases, microaggressions towards the dignity of the underprivileged damage our society.” He continued, “When we watch the news, the media and audience won’t dig a little bit more into the case—what are the motives, necessities, or genuine intentions of people implicated?”
At that time, I asked Mr. Joon-Ho
to describe the genre of his extraordinary piece. When he writes a script, he is never aware of a specific style because he lets the story take its direction without boxing it into one particular category. Everyone can classify their film according to their perception.
Bong Joon-Ho worked with the same actors in his previous films. They have known each other for a while and feel more comfortable with actors delivering an authentic performance to a perfectionist director.
“Parasite” is an intimate film, not necessarily a movie with special effects. For that reason, Bong Joon-ho achieved the same Dolby Atmos sound quality as Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar® winner, “Roma,” emphasizing the difference between classes – noisy for the poor, quiet for the rich.
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| Bong Joon-ho, director of Parasite. Photo José A. Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
In society, the essence of the family is to stay together. In “Parasite,” the punishment is to be scattered. The audience cannot hate the Kim family because they have their charm. The spectators’ rule for the poor makes the Kims a likable antihero.
The film’s morality doesn’t justify killing and is open to interpretation. Remember, none of the characters are criminals; circumstances bring them together, but the calamity reaches all.
Some people may see “Parasite” as socialist propaganda, but I see it as a masterwork reproducing reality in a divided society.
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| José A. Hermosillo, a film critic. Festival in LA ©2019 |
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| Renowned actor Kang-ho Song (“A Taxi Driver,” “Thirst,” “The Host”). Film critic José Alberto Hermosillo. Festival in LA ©2019 |
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| Woo-sik Choi & Sun-kyun Lee, and film critic José Alberto Hermosillo, moments before #ParasiteMadeHistory 🥂CONGRATULATIONS 🇰🇷🍾 Festival in LA ©2019 |
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| #Parasite cast and crew at the #Oscars2020 red carpet. Photo José A. Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
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