What is taboo in your world? Lying? Cheating? Adultery? Theft? Murder? What if you had to save a family member? What if you had to save all your family members? What if you had not only tacit approval from those family members, but –heck- they’ll help you murder a guy if you gotta.
We do a lot of pretending in the United States; perhaps we’re all born actors of a sort. We love to pretend our reality isn’t what it is; it’s the reason we have a bloated military and no national health care…that’s what you get when your imagination is making decisions instead of reality. Parasite examines a South Korean family so down-to-Earth they make no pretenses about reality; they all know darn well the only way to escape their sub-sewer-level dwelling is by force of teamwork.
The Kim family are losers. Parents Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song) and Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin) are unemployed fortysomethings. Mom used to be a Grade A hammer thrower in her day, but for some reason that don’t pay the bills. Son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) and daughter Ki-jeong (Park So-dam) have middling talent and aspirations, but honestly? Youth is the only real asset these two have going for them. The whole family is in a rut; they’ve taken to folding pizza boxes (outsourced from a local chain) to earn enough for meager family meals.
Ki-Woo gets a break when a friend moves away opening up an English tutoring vacancy at the home of a wealthy family. Check it out; not only does the daughter need a tutor, it turns out the hyper ADHD candidate masquerading as the Park’s son “needs” a personal art instructor. Ki-Woo knows just the person, a “Miss Jessica” from Illinois. Miss Jessica turns out to be his sister, of course, but the Parks don’t know that. And pretty soon, the youngest Kims are conspiring to replace the chauffeur and live-in housekeeper with their unemployed parents. Do we blame them or laud them? The film is OK with you concluding either.
The insidious and –dare I say- parasitic way the Kims insert themselves into the lives of the Parks is inventive on its own, but anyone who has seen a Bong Joon-ho film knows he ain’t done. I wasn’t wild about his land sea cow epic Okja, but this is the Bong Joon-ho who directed The Host and Mother and Snowpiercer. I cannot recommend this director enough for aspiring cinephiles.
Asian cultures in general have a much better handle on understanding family units instead of individuals; such has been reflected in the very recent Japanese stand-outs Survival Family and Shoplifters. While those films asked, essentially, “What is family?” Parasite is the next step; it knows exactly what family is, the next question being, “How does a family survive?” and “What would you do to keep make your own family secure?” The question is a lot deeper than the words suggest. Finally, in the wake of encroachments, Parasite asks the question, “What is punishment?” Again, there are deeper answers here than the words suggest. Parasite is a cross between a wicked delight and a mournful reflection while being exactly both at the same time. This is a must-see for the parents I know and one of the best films of 2019.
My career has rejected this suitor
I’ve no interest in being a looter
For sanity and thrills
There’s need to pay bills
Anyone need a movie tutor?
Rated R, 122 Minutes
Director: Joon-ho Bong
Writers: Jin Won Han, Joon-ho Bong
Genre: Re-defining decency
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Fans of dark humor
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: The rich and daft
