First Take: Parasite- Bong Hive, assemble.

 

SYNOPSIS: A poor family, the Kims, con their way into becoming the servants of a rich family, the Parks. But their easy life gets complicated when their deception is threatened with exposure.

So, the Best Picture winner for this year. I had big expectations for this one, especially as it is the first foreign language film to win over the Academy in this way- but the real question is whether it is worthy of taking home the biggest prize in this industry. I am very glad to report that it bloody deserved that Oscar, as it is a real gamechanger.

Bong Joon-ho is arguably the man of the moment right now as a result of this film’s success, and it is obvious to see why- directing from a script he co-wrote with Jin Won Han, he is able to create a film that not only showcases what foreign language cinema can be all about, but also something dark, brooding, and truly unlike anything a Hollywood studio would produce. Clocking in at 2 hours 11, it is paced incredibly well, with a good amount of humour to supplement what we are seeing this family do to play the system. It’s shot very well by Kyong-pyo Hong, and the score from Jaeil Jung is basic, mininalist, and keeps the focus firmly on the actual events happening on-screen.

With the performances, this is a true ensemble piece that has to be seen to be believed- leading the cast is Song Kang-Ho, who plays the father figure of this family so well that you can see his passion for the role in every scene he appears in, and working alongside him is Choi Woo-shik (the son), Park So-dam (the daughter, and the central force behind this family’s motives), and Jang Hye-jin (as the mother figure)- and this is just the family who are making the con happen.  Every single performance in this film is perfectly crafted, and if I was to single every one of them out, this simply wouldn’t be short and concise. This was a true labour of love for Mr Joon-ho and his team in Korea, and the reaction from the film’s UK distributors Curzon during Oscar night were the stuff of legend as the ceremony unfolded. It may have been an upset (with 1917 being the bookie’s favourite), but what a win for the industry- because this film is brilliant.

THE VERDICT

Parasite is an incredibly strong piece of filmmaking. Worthy of the Best Picture win, it does things that no Hollywood filmmaker would ever do, and it may very well usher in a new ‘new wave’ era not just for Korean cinema, but world cinema as a whole.

RATING: 5/5