Parasite - An Undeniable Masterpiece
I couldn't be later to the game by writing a review about Parasite; just about everyone who is into films has been talking at length about it for the last 6 months. But being a frustrated Brit meant that I had to wait till last week to be able to finally see it and after months of anticipation, awards and critical praise it still managed to exceed my expectations. Bong Joon Ho has crafted one of the most efficient and captivating films I have ever seen, it is a storm of perfection and every single element excels and spellbinds the audience. If by now you haven't seen 'Parasite' you are doing yourself a disservice, it is one of the most important films of our generation and has the capacity to change cinema as we know it. In a year which I felt frustrated by unoriginality and a constant obsession with homages and genre films, to see a film which is so breathtakingly original win Best Picture was an important moment in so many ways. It has spiked a discussion about the narrow-minded perspective of the film industry and how they ignore so many brilliant foreign films and it is about time these films got the attention and time they deserve.
After seeing 'Parasite' for the second time, I had quite an in-depth discussion with my parents as too what genre the film is. I'm not a fan of these umbrella terms such as 'drama' or 'comedy' because they are so dismissive and have limiting connotations and that about sums up why I love 'Parasite' as much as I do. It isn't limited by anything, it feels so refreshingly confident in itself, there is a comedy and there is drama at precisely the moments that need it most. At no point does the film feel like it is shoving a joke in because you haven't laughed in twenty minutes. at no point is a sequence cut short because Bong can't wait to show you the next plot point and at no point does any technical element settle for anything less than perfect. It is the ultimate labour of love, with such a breathtaking level of confidence and uncompromising edge in every scene which fills the audience with infectious excitement. And this goes for the film's strongest point which is its biting and complicated nest of themes and ideas about society, Bong has created a film that has a clear and vocal perspective that isn't quietened or manipulative in any way at all. There have been countless discussion pieces about Bong's complex ideological stance and they are well deserved as this is a complex and balanced perspective on modern society. It explores such a fascinating widespread of ideas that are treated with the right amount of nuance, we never spend too much time with one idea or bog it down with exposition and lazy dialogue. Instead, the ideas of the film flow into the narrative seamlessly, I adore how it doesn't require chunks of dialogue to explain the film's message, Bong uses the plot itself and realistic dialogue with these wonderful underlying metaphors running throughout.
'Parasite' has one of the tightest 5 act structures I have ever seen, the pacing of the film is near perfect. The introductory scenes are swift and to the point, characters are immediately recognisable and likeable with intrigue in their set up. Then the hook of the film, which I won't spoil here escalates at such a wonderful rate, it is effortlessly entertaining and just so captivating. And the climax is so well earned, combining so many elements that have been set up into a blindingly tense and unpredictable series of events that are honestly the most memorable scenes in recent memory. Bong has his audience in the palm of his hand throughout the film, there are so many tense and engaging sequences that never outstay their welcome or feel repetitive. And he does this with his characters, playing with our perceptions with precision, who we sympathise with and who we dislike shifts around in so many intriguing ways. It is an infectiously confident film that just makes me so happy, I said this about 'Knives Out' but it is so refreshing to have a film be confident in its purpose to entertain and have no level of pretension like so many films have these days. The film is inherently political but ties it in with the narrative so well that it never feels pretentious or as the film's purpose, the story is the highlight and the story has a strong message and set of ideas that reverberate throughout.
It's impressive when a film that has an ensemble cast of 9 characters and not one of them is a weak link at all. Every single actor is clearly having the time of their life and committing to every moment for what is quite a challenging film for the actors. They have to balance several layers of reality in their character, striking that balance between playing up to what the audience knows about their character yet keeping it convincing at the moment. At the front and centre is a beautiful performance by the wonderful Song Kang Ho as Mr Kim, he is the film's centrepiece, not to take away from the rest of the ensemble, but there is something about Song's performance that just blew me away. Every line of his is memorable, I feel every beat of his character through his face and delivery and his ideological purpose is downright beautiful and results in my favourite moment of the film. The entire Kim family all work so well, Choi Woo Shik as the naive and aspiring son, Park So Dam as the slightly cynical and witty daughter and Chang Hyae Jin as the comedic and loving mother. These characters feel like they have lived such a convincing set of lives, I could watch a three-hour conversation between the Kim family as their chemistry is so strong and entertaining. The Park family do an excellent level as the convincing opposites to the Kims, Lee Sun Kyun and Cho Yeo Jeong do such an incredible job of playing unlikeable yet realistic characters that still have an essence of sympathy. It is a film that excels when it plays with its ensemble characters, somehow every character bounces off each other so well in every scene and it holds the film together.
I really struggle to fault 'Parasite' at all and that is a wonderful thing. There isn't a line of dialogue that feels out of place and not a scene or idea that doesn't stick the ending. Playing around with the themes and messages of the film is some of the most fun I have had discussing a film in so long. There is so much to sink your teeth into thematically and so much to appreciate cinematically as well. I would love to dissect how flawlessly the script is structured or how Bong seamlessly foreshadows and sets up everything to perfection. The editing has this elevated feeling to it, scenes that contain mostly minor events become operatic when combined with the hypnotic score. It is an important film in every sense, a gorgeous screenplay, visionary direction, beautiful cinematography and a formidable cast makes 'Parasite' an unforgettable step in cinematic history.
Thanks for reading!
I couldn't be later to the game by writing a review about Parasite; just about everyone who is into films has been talking at length about it for the last 6 months. But being a frustrated Brit meant that I had to wait till last week to be able to finally see it and after months of anticipation, awards and critical praise it still managed to exceed my expectations. Bong Joon Ho has crafted one of the most efficient and captivating films I have ever seen, it is a storm of perfection and every single element excels and spellbinds the audience. If by now you haven't seen 'Parasite' you are doing yourself a disservice, it is one of the most important films of our generation and has the capacity to change cinema as we know it. In a year which I felt frustrated by unoriginality and a constant obsession with homages and genre films, to see a film which is so breathtakingly original win Best Picture was an important moment in so many ways. It has spiked a discussion about the narrow-minded perspective of the film industry and how they ignore so many brilliant foreign films and it is about time these films got the attention and time they deserve.
After seeing 'Parasite' for the second time, I had quite an in-depth discussion with my parents as too what genre the film is. I'm not a fan of these umbrella terms such as 'drama' or 'comedy' because they are so dismissive and have limiting connotations and that about sums up why I love 'Parasite' as much as I do. It isn't limited by anything, it feels so refreshingly confident in itself, there is a comedy and there is drama at precisely the moments that need it most. At no point does the film feel like it is shoving a joke in because you haven't laughed in twenty minutes. at no point is a sequence cut short because Bong can't wait to show you the next plot point and at no point does any technical element settle for anything less than perfect. It is the ultimate labour of love, with such a breathtaking level of confidence and uncompromising edge in every scene which fills the audience with infectious excitement. And this goes for the film's strongest point which is its biting and complicated nest of themes and ideas about society, Bong has created a film that has a clear and vocal perspective that isn't quietened or manipulative in any way at all. There have been countless discussion pieces about Bong's complex ideological stance and they are well deserved as this is a complex and balanced perspective on modern society. It explores such a fascinating widespread of ideas that are treated with the right amount of nuance, we never spend too much time with one idea or bog it down with exposition and lazy dialogue. Instead, the ideas of the film flow into the narrative seamlessly, I adore how it doesn't require chunks of dialogue to explain the film's message, Bong uses the plot itself and realistic dialogue with these wonderful underlying metaphors running throughout.
'Parasite' has one of the tightest 5 act structures I have ever seen, the pacing of the film is near perfect. The introductory scenes are swift and to the point, characters are immediately recognisable and likeable with intrigue in their set up. Then the hook of the film, which I won't spoil here escalates at such a wonderful rate, it is effortlessly entertaining and just so captivating. And the climax is so well earned, combining so many elements that have been set up into a blindingly tense and unpredictable series of events that are honestly the most memorable scenes in recent memory. Bong has his audience in the palm of his hand throughout the film, there are so many tense and engaging sequences that never outstay their welcome or feel repetitive. And he does this with his characters, playing with our perceptions with precision, who we sympathise with and who we dislike shifts around in so many intriguing ways. It is an infectiously confident film that just makes me so happy, I said this about 'Knives Out' but it is so refreshing to have a film be confident in its purpose to entertain and have no level of pretension like so many films have these days. The film is inherently political but ties it in with the narrative so well that it never feels pretentious or as the film's purpose, the story is the highlight and the story has a strong message and set of ideas that reverberate throughout.
It's impressive when a film that has an ensemble cast of 9 characters and not one of them is a weak link at all. Every single actor is clearly having the time of their life and committing to every moment for what is quite a challenging film for the actors. They have to balance several layers of reality in their character, striking that balance between playing up to what the audience knows about their character yet keeping it convincing at the moment. At the front and centre is a beautiful performance by the wonderful Song Kang Ho as Mr Kim, he is the film's centrepiece, not to take away from the rest of the ensemble, but there is something about Song's performance that just blew me away. Every line of his is memorable, I feel every beat of his character through his face and delivery and his ideological purpose is downright beautiful and results in my favourite moment of the film. The entire Kim family all work so well, Choi Woo Shik as the naive and aspiring son, Park So Dam as the slightly cynical and witty daughter and Chang Hyae Jin as the comedic and loving mother. These characters feel like they have lived such a convincing set of lives, I could watch a three-hour conversation between the Kim family as their chemistry is so strong and entertaining. The Park family do an excellent level as the convincing opposites to the Kims, Lee Sun Kyun and Cho Yeo Jeong do such an incredible job of playing unlikeable yet realistic characters that still have an essence of sympathy. It is a film that excels when it plays with its ensemble characters, somehow every character bounces off each other so well in every scene and it holds the film together.
I really struggle to fault 'Parasite' at all and that is a wonderful thing. There isn't a line of dialogue that feels out of place and not a scene or idea that doesn't stick the ending. Playing around with the themes and messages of the film is some of the most fun I have had discussing a film in so long. There is so much to sink your teeth into thematically and so much to appreciate cinematically as well. I would love to dissect how flawlessly the script is structured or how Bong seamlessly foreshadows and sets up everything to perfection. The editing has this elevated feeling to it, scenes that contain mostly minor events become operatic when combined with the hypnotic score. It is an important film in every sense, a gorgeous screenplay, visionary direction, beautiful cinematography and a formidable cast makes 'Parasite' an unforgettable step in cinematic history.
Thanks for reading!