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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, says the winner of multiple Oscars is one of the best films of the decade…
I cannot claim any great expertise on Korean, North or South, Film Culture so I came to this film without any preconceptions. I left enthralled.
This is a pure gem of a film. I cannot say it is of any one genre, because it has aspects of slapstick, gritty social commentary, parts that Quentin Tarantino would love to have made, the darkest of black comedy, but all with a stunning visual style, script and soundtrack that augments some of the best acting on view this year that totally transcends the need for subtitles.
The Kim family, dad Ki-taek, mum Chung-sook, daughter Ki-jeong and Son Ki-woo, live in a squalid basement flat, and are barely surviving on low pay temporary jobs, when a friend of their son gives them a scholar’s rock, a token that is supposed to bring wealth to whoever possesses it.
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He also recommends that Ki-woo takes over his job as English tutor to the daughter of the wealthy Park family daughter, Da-hye, while he studies abroad.
Bit by bit, Ki-woo, who has been snobbishly renamed Kevin by the Park family, begins to bring his family members in to replace the other household staff members, posing as specialist workers.
The Kim family in ‘Parasite’.
Ki-jeong becomes “Jessica” who works with the Parks young son as an art therapist, Ki-taek replaces the Park’s chauffeur, and the manner of getting rid of the current long-time housekeeper, Moon-gwang, deserves an award for “best use of a peach” on its own merit. She is replaced by Chung-sook.
While the Parks are away on a camping trip, the Kims take the opportunity to make full use of the facilities and contents of the Park home. The unexpected return of Moon-gwang takes the story in a whole new, almost farcical, direction.
A severe rain storm not only means the early return of the Park family, but also the loss of the Kim basement flat and they end up as refugees in a gymnasium. Unfortunately, they are also embroiled in a surprise birthday party for the young Park boy.
I will not spoil the ending of the film for you, but suffice to say, it is darkly funny, shocking, bizarre and unique.
There are ample reasons why this film has won multiple nominations and awards for both cast and crew; The Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the first non-English language film to win the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Cast Performance, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, and then the latest accolades of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best International Feature Oscars give an indication of the quality of this film.
Director and co-writer Bog Joon-ho has given us one of the best films of the decade already, and I strongly urge you to see it as soon as possible, because you may well wish to see it again. Enjoy!
