Parasite, or 기생충 in Korean is a highly acclaimed South Korean movie directed by Bong Joon-ho who co-wrote the film with Han Jin-won. The film explores the issue of class disparity in South Korea by following the fictional life of a poor family that infiltrates the home of a rich family as unrelated individuals. Parasite uses a mix of dark humor and thrill that keeps the audience on their toes with anticipation. No spoilers in here because it is really a film to experience first-hand. What is phenomenal about this film however is how well received it was worldwide. Parasite received the Palme d'Or, the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival. The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most, if not the most prestigious events globally and the fact that a South Korean film won this award was publicized greatly. Parasite also won numerous and spanning victories at the Academy Awards. This movie was also considered one of the best movies of 2019 by many critics and the common audience, with a nearly perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its box office numbers were also fantastic as it grossed over $258 million worldwide despite only having a budget of about $15 million. Despite all the hype about the awards and recognition that both the film and the director received in 2019, the real talking point here is the subject of the film. Social classes are something that is often explored in films so Parasite is not exactly original in that respect. In fact, the director Bong Joon-ho also directed Snowpiercer, an American Film from 2013 that showed the consequences of oppression and rebellion. Parasite seems to be an attempt to carry the success of Snowpiercer to the South Korean market in a relatable way. Not relatable in that every viewer has a magnificent estate or is in crippling poverty, but to illustrate the subtle struggle between the wealthy and the poor in a way that was not possible with the dystopian plot driving Snowpiercer. It is no surprise that the narrative that Bong Joon-ho presented in Parasite has some mass appeal because South Korea has growing economic inequality despite being one of the most equal countries in the world. This issue has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic all around the globe and South Korea is no exception.
One of the main things that stands out in Parasite is the fantastic action sequences and the music. There is a famous scene in this movie that really demonstrates the effectiveness of professional directing in influencing the audience's emotions. There are various YouTube videos that break down the masterpiece that is this sequence that I would highly suggest anyone interested to watch after viewing Parasite. In conclusion, Parasite is a fantastic movie that tackles the issue of economic inequality in South Korea using dark humor and thriller scenes that exploded into the global film scene in 2019 by winning multiple prestigious awards at a myriad of film festivals/ceremonies.
Comments
Hey Victor, really enjoyed the cultural post about Parasite. This movie is definitely one of the most intricate and fascinating stories I have ever seen. It's so popular in America too and I think that's amazing. The fact that Korean culture is slowly being modernized and popularized in Western cultures shows just how amazing and unique Korean culture is. The music in parasite is definitely interesting and the issues they highlight are done so well.
I love how Korean productions reflect on the Korean culture. This movie really gave me a different perspective of how different social classes lived or might be living. I agree with you that it tackled the issue of economic inequality in South Korea with very dark humor and thrillers. I recommend others to watch this film!