'Parasite' Review—Beautifully Brilliant Satire

The Godfather. Taxi Driver. Donnie Darko. Pulp Fiction. The Big Lebowski. Drive. These are all movies that I can tell you that I liked, but not nearly as much as most people, and when I heard the buzz surrounding this film, I was worried I'd feel the same.

But if you're worried you won't love this movie, I can tell you that by the end of this article, you'll have nothing to worry about.

Here we go!

Parasite (기생충) ["Parasite" in Korean] is a satirical black comedy thriller written by Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won, and directed by Joon-ho. The film follows a poor family that begins to steadily form a relationship with a rich family, and that is all I want to say about the plot of this film.

This movie won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and has been universally praised (except by Armond White, whose opinion shouldn't even matter to anyone at this point). I saw this film was playing at the IFC Center here in New York City, and I decided to give it a watch.

What a great decision. I'm so smart. This movie is not just one of the best films of the year, but it is one of the best I've seen in a while.

As I said, I don't want to tell you too much about the film's premise, because this is a film where you should go in blind.

The biggest reason why I loved this movie was the story. This was a consistently fascinating film from start to finish, and it was an incredibly well-written satire. The story for the film is gripping, pulling the audience into the family's activities as they begin to grow more and more unsettling.

We are introduced to the Kim family, and we learn about their situation visually; their house is very small and cramped, they have to "borrow" WiFi, and they need to make a living with low-paying jobs, such as folding pizza boxes.

Conversely, when we are introduced to the wealthy Park family through Ki-woo (the audience surrogate), we see their house is very large and decorated. They have a hired driver and a housekeeper, and this is what drives the poor family to begin their pervasive relationship with the rich family.

As time goes on, the members of the family begin to go to further and further lengths to become a part of this wealthy family, and their strategies and methods of manipulation are incredibly smart and elaborate.

Earlier in the film, their actions are generally played for laughs. This movie is very funny, and there are many scenes that made the audience burst into laughter from how clever and ridiculous the family is, but later, their actions become scarier as they become more desperate, and the film becomes very thrilling and suspenseful.

The film throws a surprising twist about halfway through, and this is where the film begins to give the audience its moral dilemma. As the film's events play out, it becomes harder to support the family's actions, and our perception of their behavior begins to become more negative.

Instead of laughing, we begin to hold our breath, and this makes the film so entertaining and well-written. The film manages to be funny, sad, suspenseful, and thrilling, and the tone of the film transitions smoothly without ever feeling abrupt.

Everyone in this film gives pitch-perfect performances as their respective characters. The family members feel like a family, and despite being protagonists, they do a great job of acting slightly antagonistic as well.

Joon-ho's direction of the film is immaculate as well. The film is cut together perfectly, and the way he helms the suspenseful sequences is incredible. A large portion of the second act of the film takes place in the house, and the design of the house provides many scenes of well-crafted tension.

The pacing of the film is great, and it never feels dragged on or rushed. The musical score and cinematography of the film are also really great. Many shots in the film are aesthetically beautiful, and there is a certain sense of irony that exists throughout the film.

While this film is a black comedy and a thriller, it is also a satire that takes a look at issues surrounding class, and how upper-class people tend to perceive lower-class people. Essentially, this movie is a humorous, but also thought-provoking look at the divide between groups of people based on wealth.

Overall, this movie is a masterpiece. It manages to be really funny while also being unsettling and dark. It is full of symbolism, with the biggest one being a rock that is said to "bring wealth" to the family. The performances are great, it's well-written and well-shot, and I see this winning Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars next year.

I'm gonna give Parasite a 10/10.

I usually put the trailer for the film here, but once again, I want you to go into this movie cold. The trailer doesn't reveal any plot points, but I want you to be surprised by what you see.

This film has had its wide release in the United States, and I highly recommend watching it as soon as possible. Thank you so much for reading!